A Criminally Insane Love Story
by Sadie Lovegood
Summary: Allison thought she and Andy were in the perfect relationship. Bender felt he and Claire could last forever. But suddenly, Andy is quickly whisked away and Claire changes her mind, leaving their significant others in the dust with no one but each other.
1. Prologue

"**A Criminally Insane Love Story"**

_**A/N: **I will be updating this along with "When Richie Met Petunia" alternatively and as regularly as possible. I felt the need to have an ongoing fic with the actual Breakfast Clubbers, but I still am active with my Vernon/Petunia story, so no worries! This one will hopefully be longer, maybe another epic-length fic, and I'm going to be experimenting with a new pairing that I have yet to write about: Bender/Allison. I read Kristen's Bender/Allison fic and ate it up. I'm going to be doing the same thing…only, of course, with my own plot! Review, and enjoy!_

_**General Summary: **Allison thought she and Andy had the perfect relationship. But out of nowhere, Andy is uprooted and whisked away from her life with not a trace left to remember her by, well…maybe one. Meanwhile, Bender thought he and Claire would last forever, but after Claire has a sudden change of heart, Bender is left standing in the dust. Can Allison and Bender find solace in each other, and can they help each other confront the two who left them behind? Can they deal with unexpected problems and adjust to life in the real world? _

_**Rating: T-16, for sexuality, violence, swearing, and other elements. **_

_**MATURITY ALERT: This entire fic has mature elements, so don't read this if you immature!

* * *

**_

His room smells so familiar. I've always had a nose for smells.

It's a mixture of his cologne and sweaty gym clothes lying in a pile in the corner (his mother does the wash on weekends). It may sound rancid to you, but to me, that cologne/sweaty smelly is the scent of love. It is the room of Andy Clark.

Ever since I met and fell in love with him last March, he and I have been utterly inseparable. The entire summer after our junior year was wonderful. On warn, dry nights, he'd take me down to the lake outside of town and we'd sit and count fireflies (I don't know if he likes that stuff…but I do). When it was stormy or rainy, we'd sit huddled in blankets in Andy's sunroom and listen to the patter of the heavy rain on the glass as we sipped strawberry smoothies (with a hint of shots). During the day, when Andy was training with his Dad or at medical appointments for his knee or out of town on family trips, I felt so alone. I did have other friends to hang out with. There was Brian Johnson, who graduated this year and wanted to spend as much time as possible with me before heading out east to NYU to study biochemical engineering. There's John Bender, who was fun to party with and always cheered me up, especially during the week in late July where Andy had minor surgery on his knee (he was in the hospital for 3 days, and his ward allowed family visitors only). Then Claire Standish was my girl friend over the summer. When Andy was unavailable, and Claire wasn't out with John, we'd go do what Claire called 'girl stuff.' We went shopping and watched chick flicks. But the overall best days during the summer were with Andy at my side.

And now it's late September. I'm a senior along with Andy, Claire, and John (he remarkably advanced a grade despite skipping almost 5 weeks total last year), and what Claire calls 'senioritis' is already sinking in. I'm thinking if Andy's father won't have a heart attack, he and I could spend the summer after graduation backpacking in Europe. Wouldn't THAT be an adventure! Sneaking over the Alps with only a few francs in our pockets, walking along the sandy beaches of Monaco hand-in-hand, and working our way from the tip of Scotland to the southern coast of Corsica! The thought of doing all that doubles in excitement when I think that Andy will be there with me!

I'm sitting in Andy's room right now. I'm looking at my big bare feet kicking at the carpeting in his room. I can hear Andy talking from the bathroom about something having to do with his knee possibly needing a cartilage repair. I just take in the sights, smells, and sounds of his room. I bite my lip and think for a moment. I've known Andy a fairly long time, and I love him. I really do. Every time I go to his room, and every time I saw him over the summer, one thought has been wandering in the back of my mind: sex.

I know, I sound like a freshman boy, but I can't help it. Maybe I am turning into a nymphomaniac? Andy's given me no pressure on the subject, but I'm sensing that he's been thinking about it too. I have no problem with it being a spontaneous moment. I'm prepared. I take birth control, but not because I expect to be whoring around. I take it because it slows down my periods, and I was having trouble with them for a long time. I've been on them since I was a sophomore, so I almost take them subconsciously. So as far as pregnancy goes, I'm not worried.

I don't know how to explain it really, but I guess I'm 'in the mood' right now. I love Andy, so lovemaking won't be a morality issue with me. But then again, I don't want to make it awkward between us. I want to give myself to Andy, even if it's at an insignificant moment such as this. Some people want their first time to be on a bed of roses on their wedding night or on a warm Florida beach at sunset. All that matters to me is that I'm with the one I love.

Andy's coming out of the bathroom now.

"So if I have to be hospitalized again, I really hope it's an outpatient operation," Andy is saying. He is sitting down on the bed next to me. I wonder if he notices that I'm not all in the room with him. I'm nodding and looking at him as he talks about knee pains. If I ever end up marrying him, I'd better have a damn good job, because something tells me I'm going to have to be paying for a LOT of hospital bills if Andy doesn't slow down the muscle-man routine. I'm only able to catch fragments of his rant.

"So my father….I can't let up….wrestling season…scholarships…"

I groan. "Why do you let your father control your life? I thought we settled this in March!" It's true. Everyone in our new group seemed to have changed for the better somewhat…except my Andy. Brian managed to win himself a bit of independence from his pushy parents. Claire is refusing any bribes her parents offer her now, and they too have backed off a bit. Claire's even got a job, and she says it really boosts her self esteem knowing that whatever she buys she earns. John is still at odds with his own family, but he's avoided serious bruisings on more than one occasion because he learned how to drown them out (not to mention being with Claire helped a little). I, myself, am still a ghost to my parents. But at least now I have fun friends and an adoring boyfriend. But Andy, as far as I know, is still his father's little wrestling/bodybuilding machine. It's incredibly sad watching him being shoved around like that. He is the exact opposite around us. He'll battle John constantly for the 'alpha-male' spot in our group (it's actually quite fun to watch sometimes!) and yet at home, he's as quiet and easily manipulated as a lamb.

Andy groans back and takes my hand in his. His skin is so warm, yet so rough and dry. "Al, you know what my father could do if I ruined the scholarship opportunity this gives me. I'm not that strong academically. I have nothing to fall back on. My dad isn't made of money. No wrestling, no college. No college, no future."

I knit my eyebrows, but he doesn't see that. I never planned to attend college myself. I've personally always dreamed of owning my own art or yoga studio. Surprisingly to a lot of people, I do know yoga and practice it whenever my parents aren't home. It's a peaceful artistic form of dance.

"Your hands are so cracked, don't they hurt?" I ask. Andy nods and sighes. My own skin is very soft. I use a lotion every day on it, and it smells like cranberries and orange. It's like marijuana to my hands. I don't go a day without slathering my hands in the stuff and rolling the gooey cream between my fingers. Maybe I have it with me…

…yes! I take out the bottle, and without even asking his permission, I squeeze a bit of the lotion onto Andy's hand and rub it in. I then hand him the bottle and instruct him to do the same to the other side. But he doesn't obey me. He returns his hand to mine and rubs his thumb over my knuckles. Oh god, I'm getting that horny feeling again! I can't help myself this time.

My lips fly to the little niche at the base of his neck, and I begin sucking like a vampire. I must have caught Andy off-guard, because he's now trying to get me off him. I let go (unwillingly).

"Al? What are you doing?"

"I want you, Andy!" I mutter playfully. His face is getting serious. He probably wants a better answer. "Andy, I really do," I add. "I love you and I'm ready to give myself to you."

He must think this is so random. We're sitting in his bedroom on a school night supposed to be studying for a social studies quiz, and here I am trying to get into Andy's pants.

But he's smiling back at me! He looks like my suggestion isn't so strange. But his face melts back into the stern look he had before. Damn.

"I…I don't have a condom on me," Andy mutters. I nod, understanding.

"I've been on the Pill for two years!" I announce. He's giving me a crazy look, and I can't help but laugh. Before he can ask, I'll explain. "Lady troubles."

Nothing more is being said. I kiss him softly on the lips. Andy reciprocates by kissing me more passionately. I'm beginning to lose myself already in his kisses and caresses. Okay, now he's bringing his hands up under my t-shirt and feeling my breasts (not that I have a lot to feel up), and hunting for my bra hook. I maneuver my hand to meet his and guide him to the spot, all while kissing still. He lifts my sweater over my head, and I begin to unbutton his semi-formal shirt (I think he was meeting with a college coach this afternoon before I came over) and move my lips lower and lower.

Everything is beginning to spin. I'm lying on my back. I'm not sure where I am anymore. I've lost track of everything except Andy. I don't think he's actually gone inside me yet. He's kissing the space in between my breasts and caressing the sides of my waist. My heart is rushing, and he's sweating up a storm. Everything is escalating, both within my body and externally…

* * *

Is this how losing one's virginity is supposed to feel? I feel like I'm not whole anymore. Andy is my other half, and I'd kill to have him again and have the feeling of being complete within me. We did it. I'm not a virgin anymore. It seemed like it only happened for a moment…but I lost track of time. I experiences whole new feelings, a whole new sense of being. And it was beautiful. We're still naked, but we're resting, lying side-by-side in his bed. His clock on the wall tells us it's nearly midnight. Technically, my curfew was 10:30 tonight, but I know for a fact my parents won't give a damn. Andy's almost completely asleep, his hand lightly brushing the side of my neck. I really need to get home. Tomorrow IS a school day, after all. But at the same time, I don't want to leave this bed. 

"Andy? Andy, are you awake?"

Andy moans lightly. I think he's asleep all but physically. Did I really exhaust him THAT much? Is that good?

I hear loud and low footsteps pounding up the stairs and getting louder as they come. His parents are probably coming up to bed. This isn't good. If they go to bed, then I can't sneak out at the risk of being heard.

"Andy—?"

Suddenly, the door opens wide. It's Andy's father in the doorway. Andy shoots up as if a spring in his back has just been released. I sit up too, clutching the blanket around me so no one sees anything. Andy lets the blanket fall below his chest. His eyes are fixated on the door. Andy's father doesn't look too happy. Actually, he looks like he wants to strangle me with his bare hands. Is Andy…shaking?

Busted. We are SOOO busted.


	2. The Deal

It was coming on 1 AM, and George Clark had spent the last hour yelling at Andy and Allison, who sat on separate ends of the sofa in the living room, taking his harsh and cruel verbal beatings. Andy and Allison didn't look at each other. Andy still wasn't wearing a shirt, and Allison's hair was all ruffled as she struggled not to yell out or cry.

"What the hell do you think this will accomplish, Andrew? Do you think a college is gonna give you a free ride if you knock up some little chickee-poo and have a kid to clean up after for 18 years?" George hollered. His wife, Andy's mother, Kathleen, stood in the doorway, looking ashamed and tired. Andy's twin little sisters, Corinne and Leigh, were watching the tirade from the top of the stairs. Allison could see them out of the corner of her eye, and they were giggling like the 10-year-old idiots they were. George continued, "And you, young lady!"

Allison squeaked her fear. Andy wanted nothing more than to reach out his hand and hold hers for comfort. But if Andy even leaned the wrong way, George would keep hollering. "Yeah, you! What would your father say if he found out you were screwing around? I'll tell you what he'd do, he'd throw you out on the street, especially if you got knocked up. I swear, you'd better not be showing up on our doorstep in 4 months tellin' us that you're pregnant!"

_Either that, or he'd go back to reading his paper! _Allison thought to herself. _How rude is this man? Who speaks like this to company…even in THIS circumstance? _

"I hope damn well you were using protection, because if I find out that you're knocked up," he threatened Allison. He then quickly turned to Andy. "Or if YOU have some venereal disease, I'll kick YOU out, and you can forget about college and life! You two can live out of a pickup truck under the I-97 overpass! I'm not having the snobs at the country club muttering something about me being a grandfather before I'm 50!" George was redder than an apple, and he was twice as moist. Allison felt an urge to deck him building up inside her, but she knew that if she even tried, George wouldn't hesitate to knock her lights out right there in front of Andy. She stayed put.

Kathleen shuffled into the living room and touched George on the shoulder. He let his wife pass. She had something to say.

"Now, George, I think Andrew and Allison are old and mature enough to have used a condom, right, Andy?"

Allison shot a glance at Andy. She begged and pleaded in her head for Andy to lie and say they had.

But Andy couldn't lie in front of his parents. He was physically incapable of lying in front of George and Kathleen Clark. It was just his nature and how much his parents…especially his father, intimidated him. He shook his head. Allison pulled her knees up and tucked them under her chin, wrapping her arms around her shins. Maybe she could find her happy place…

George went from red to blue to purple to tie-dye all within a matter of seconds. He did, however, remain eerily quiet. Andy looked at Allison, about ready to purposely psyche herself out so she could wake up somewhere else. He swallowed. He hated his weakness.

"I think Al should go home and get her sleep. She can deal with her parents in the morning," Andy said. Kathleen looked at George a moment, who nodded at her.

"Very well," Kathleen said. Andy stood up and walked Allison to the door. George and Kathleen were within sight, but not earshot, so Andy could mutter a goodbye.

"Al, you're so lucky. Your parents won't care," said Andy.

Allison silently nodded. "I'll see you in school tomorrow?"

"Don't count on it," said Andy. "My dad'll punish me by making me spend the whole day at the gym at the country club weight training, all while he barks in my ear." Allison squeaked.

"I have no regrets, you know," she said. Andy nodded. He wanted to kiss Allison, but he knew that would only make his father develop a brain aneurysm faster. Instead he patted her shoulder and opened the door. Allison didn't look back as she began walking down the street. He house was over 4 miles away, but she could hop a bus on the 24-hour line at the stop on the corner a block down the road.

Once she sat on the bench at the bus stop, Allison looked back at Andy's house, still visible from where she sat. Andy was probably going to get neutered after George got done with him. She felt guilty. Andy had been right about her parents. She could get pregnant with Andy's quadruplets AND get Chlamydia and her parents wouldn't blink. It wasn't right. Andy was getting reamed down the street, and he'd wake up in the morning and have a huge block of tension between him and his family. Allison got to wake up and just live life how she normally did. Nothing would change for her on account of this night.

She had just lied to Andy. She did have one regret…

…Allison knew she'd regret getting Andy into this degree of trouble.

* * *

"Andrew Thomas Robert Clark, what the hell am I gonna do with you?" George moaned to himself as Andy came back into the living room. "You have two little sisters to set an example for, your big brother would never have done this!" He said, his voice oddly calmer. 

"Adam's in Kenosha, dad," Andy muttered. "Getting pelted with trophies and medals," he added bitterly under his breath.

"So he is," said George. He looked at Kathleen, who looked sternly at Andy.

"Andrew, I really hope you learn from this. I know we're not at religious as some families, but you still need to know what right from wrong is. I'll sit with your father in the morning and we'll decide what your punishment is—"

"—that won't be necessary, Kath. I think we should move the date to next weekend," said George. Andy didn't understand. What date?

Kathleen looked at her husband with wide eyes. "You think we can move that soon?"

Andy's heart skipped a beat. Move?

George nodded. "I have no doubt. Slip the movers an extra 50 and we should be good to go. Get some shut-eye, Kath. I'll be up soon," he demanded. Kathleen obeyed and headed upstairs. The twins had long since gotten tired and gone back up to their bedroom. George looked up after her and sighed. Andy felt a pit form in his chest where his heart was. Andy knew his parents' relationship with each other was near perfect. Kathleen and George were devoted to each other…but they felt that because George was the perfect breadwinner and Kathleen was the perfect housewife, and their oldest son was a perfect football champion, that their second son should be perfect as well. After seeing Kathleen disappear upstairs, George turned back to Andy.

"Dad…what's this about a moving date?" Andy asked through gritted teeth. He couldn't believe his father would pull this on him.

"We were going to before Christmas, but seeing as you need a head rewiring, we're moving up to Kenosha, in a week."

"WHAT?" yelled Andy. George cringed for a moment, but no one stirred upstairs.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds. We've got a house a mile down the road from Adam. You need more time with him and less time with your new…aHEM…friends!"

"What are you talking about?" Andy asked defensively.

"The one redheaded girl is fine. I meet with her parents sometimes at the club, but the muscular boy with the shaggy hair always smells like dope! The nerdy kid is too weak, and then there's…THAT GIRL! You think fucking her is gonna make you a better wrestler?"

Andy bit his lower lip and remained silent.

"If she gets pregnant, you're not gonna run away! Clarks DON'T run away! But then you'd be killing your future, so either way, you're screwed!"

"I DIDN'T ask to be born!" Andy felt hot tears well up in his eyes, but he held them back. "Who says I even WANT to be a Clark?"

"Watch what you say!" George warned.

"I'm NOT moving," Andy said assertively.

"Oh YES, you are!" demanded his father.

"I'm almost 18, you sure as hell can't make me do ANYTHING!" Andy said.

"You can't stay around here with that girl! You have better things to think about! She's NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!"

"But she IS!"

"Wake up and smell the coffee, Andrew! I'll be willing to bet that if you spent a month in Kenosha without ANY contact with that girl, you'd forget all about her and never want to go back!" George challenged. He knew that despite how many times Andy denied it, his son DID inherit some of his own competitive genes, and making deals and bets was one of the only possible ways to get through to his second son. Sure enough, Andy looked up from the floor, his eyes glowing with unshed tears.

"Name the stakes," Andy said, annunciating every word.

"You'll come to Kenosha quietly next weekend, and spend a month there without communicating to her or anybody here at all. If by November 1st, you come to me and admit you wanna come back, I'll let you go back and stay with the Brusios, alright? But if you don't mention anything by then, you are staying in Kenosha, got it?" George held out his hand. Andy looked at it for a second in doubt. Was he willing to bet his relationship with Allison like this?

Andy took his fathers hand and gave his word.

"Smarten up and get your priorities straight," George commanded. "Now get to bed. I'm takin' you to the club gym tomorrow to work it all off, so don't even THINK about sneaking off to school to meet with her and exchange numbers! You can go back the day after," George pointed upstairs. Andy sighed, wondering what the hell he'd just done, and marched upstairs. George didn't follow him. He needed a beer.

But he knew he had this bet won. Easily.

* * *

Back up in his room, Andy slammed the door and hurled himself onto his bed. In her haste to get dressed and downstairs, Allison had left her big black oversized sweater behind and went out with just her t-shirt. Andy picked it up and rolled it into a ball. He also saw she'd left her bottle of hand lotion behind, and he put it beside the sweater. He found himself staring at the sweater for awhile. He felt like he could take on the world right now. He was confident enough in his own mind to basically bet his girlfriend. He'd win. 

But he did still have a problem. He couldn't let Allison know what he'd just done. How was he going to explain such a sudden move? What would Allison say? She he tell her at all about the move? He screwed himself over in so many ways. Why didn't he stop Allison from getting so intimate? He could have told her to wait. He couldn't play the "I'm not ready" card, because Allison knew that Andy had other girls before her (although she wasn't one to judge, so it didn't bother her). But he'd felt himself swept up in the passion so quickly. Now he had to forget about her for a month and trust himself to keep her in the back of his mind log n enough to win the bet against his father and come back ti her…then he'd be free to be with her forever.

God, why couldn't he just stand up to his father like Allison had been pleading for him to do all along? She was going to be heartbroken as soon as Andy told her about the bet. No…not the bet. Just the fact that he's letting his father move him to Wisconsin.

Allison didn't ever have to know about the bet. It was his secret.


	3. Courtyards, Cats, and a Crisis

Not seeing Andy in school that day made Allison feel even worse than she did before. It had all been her fault. She was the one who asked for the sex. She was the one who succumbed to a whim she had. Now Andy was on bad terms with his family and was actually jealous of her for her parents not caring who she screwed with last night.

That morning, after getting about an hour's worth of sleep, she'd proudly marched into the kitchen, where her parents Danny and Marty were sitting, drinking coffee and reading two different newspapers. "I had sex last night without a condom," she announced loud and proud. Marty didn't stir.

Her father looked at her for about 4 seconds and said, "It's garbage night. Empty out the bathroom before dinner."

And Andy was jealous of this life?

Allison couldn't pay attention in any of her morning classes. She just pictured Andy being treated like he was in boot camp all day with his father as the drill sergeant. And all of it being her fault, it just made her feel like shit.

At lunch, she sat at a small round table in the corner of the cafeteria taking slow, occasional bites of her ketchup and banana sandwich. It would only be Bender and Claire sitting with her today. Where were they?

After about 15 minutes, Allison looked up just as John Bender heaved himself in the seat across from her. He looked a little ticked off. Allison sighed and stared at him. Claire was nowhere around. Bender pulled out his backpack and took out a lunch sack labeled "Tommy." He pulled out a peanut-butter sandwich and a carton of juice. He groaned.

"Some of these freshmen are going on crash diets just to starve me. Don't they know it's a fucking domino effect?" Bender said, exasperated. Allison stared more. "What's eating you?"

"Where's Claire?"

"Not here," was Bender's bitter reply. "She's been avoiding me lately, ever since that new guy transferred from Oregon. Dickface," he muttered. "He's paying special attention to her, and her prep set friends aren't helping either."

"What do you mean?" asked Allison.

"I heard her talking with two of 'em, both of them saying that she should drop me and go with Mr. Dickface."

"That's horrible," said Allison, finishing her sandwich. She had an orange, but instead of eating it, she slid it across the table to Bender, who graciously picked it up and began tearing away at the peel. "You think she will?"

"I don't think so," said Bender. "If she drops me for Mr. Dickface, it will be the biggest mistake she'll ever make, and she knows it."

"You love her that much?" asked Allison. "You'd beat up a rival for her? That's romantic," she continued without much feeling.

"She wants me too, she's just trying to juggle two guys at once—"

"—and you don't mind that?" asked Allison.

"It means she's taking after me! She'll have a wallet full in no time!" he said with a mock-pride.

"But when you first got with her, you burned your wallet and dumped the girls inside," said Allison. Bender didn't reply. She'd crossed a line and knew she shouldn't look into it anymore.

"Why do you look so down in the mouth?" asked Bender. Allison groaned and whimpered.

"Andy and I did it last night," she said. Bender smirked and began laughing. "And his dad caught us." Bender kept laughing louder and longer. "Shut up, you asshole! It's not funny!"

"Is Sporto lame in the sack or something?" Bender didn't let up on laughing as he spoke.

"I got him in trouble with his father! I feel awful!" Allison yelled, getting up angrily and storming away. Bender bit his lip and hid more snickers as he watched Allison storm away.

* * *

The next day, Andy did appear in school. Allison couldn't talk to him until lunch. But when lunchtime did come, she waited for Andy outside the cafeteria. She gave him a hopeful smile. He didn't smile back, but he did stop and say hello. 

"Wanna go in the courtyard and talk?" asked Allison. Andy nodded quickly.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Andy decided quickly, taking Allison's hand in his and guiding her out to the courtyard. The courtyard was a space of open air sandwiched between the cafeteria and the library. It was technically off-limits to students, but when two or more people wanted to duke something out or be alone, they went out there and usually weren't caught. It was just a pile of stones and an old weed that had managed to grow into a small tree. Once, when Allison and Andy were freshmen, a tornado warning in late spring had kept everyone in school until the warning expired. Allison recalled walking by a window on the second floor overlooking the courtyard, and seeing about 4 couples making out in the down below (she might have seen Bender among the couples, but then again she could never be sure). Vernon had caught wind of it and had the door sealed shut. But the students found a window with a loose pane, and whenever someone would want to go out into the courtyard, they could move the glass pane aside and climb down into the courtyard and be totally alone. Andy moved aside the pane for Allison and they found themselves alone in the forbidden courtyard.

Allison propped herself up in a corner. Andy leaned beside her. They were silent for nearly 5 minutes before deciding to speak. It was Allison who spoke first.

"How bad was it yesterday?" she asked. Andy swallowed a huge lump in his throat and shook his head.

"I was at the club until 5 last night, then he took me out for burgers," Andy replied. "My knee was killer when I came home, so I soaked in the bathtub for at least an hour. How did your parents react?"

"Just like they always do…they didn't," Allison hissed. If Andy said anything about her being lucky, she wouldn't hesitate to kick him in the groin right there, bad knee or not. Andy didn't say anything. "Claire's snubbing John," she added.

"Oh?" Andy asked for more information.

"It's because of Neil Dickens. John calls him Mr. Dickface. Claire's smitten, but it's most likely a fling. John's not too worried, although he's afraid of her rich friends having an influence," Allison explained. Andy looked like he really wanted to say something. Allison could tell he was trying to keep it hidden.

"Al, I'm moving," Andy said. Allison almost didn't hear the words, Andy made them barely audible.

Allison, upon understanding what the words meant, let out a squeal of surprise. Andy was WHAT? Did she really piss off George Clark that bad? Great, as if Allison didn't feel bad enough. Now she felt like falling off a cliff.

"Did your father get THAT upset?" she asked sadly, but calmly. Andy shook his head.

"He'd been planning it for awhile and just now told me. I'm leaving Saturday," he informed Allison.

"It's Wednesday!" Allison declared. "Three days?" she yelped. "Can I see you before then?" she asked.

"Al, it's only for a month," Andy said. "I'll be in Kenosha—"

"—Wisconsin?"

"Yeah, Wisconsin. My brother's having problems with a girlfriend and my dad wanted us to be with him until everything with Adam's settled. I should be back by the holidays," he assured her. That WOULD be true should he manage to keep Allison in his mind for a month.

"That doesn't make sense," Allison muttered. Why would Andy move away to a different state for only a month's time?

"What?" asked Andy. Allison shook her head. Andy wouldn't lie to her.

"Nothing, just a notion," she said. "Can I see you before you leave?"

Andy thought a moment. "No," he concluded. "Not outside school. Dad's still on bad terms with me," he said.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble," Allison said, starting to cry. That was another thing Andy envied. He was always so afraid to show emotion for fear of being seen as a weakling. Allison would be the first in a crowd to laugh at a joke or cry at a funeral.

Andy took Allison into his arms. "No. It had nothing to do with you—"

"—who are you trying to fool? I was EVERYTHING to do with it! If I'd never screwed around with you, then you wouldn't be moving away, and I'd be able to see you!" Allison cried to herself. Andy looked hurt.

"Al—"

"Go away!" Allison just wanted to be alone. She couldn't see how Andy was trying to pin it all on himself. It just made her feel even worse. She pulled out of Andy's grip and ran away. She yanked the window pane aside and heaved herself back into the school, leaving Andy standing in the old courtyard.

As if trying to prevent Andy from pursuing her, Allison replaced the window pane before running down the hall.

* * *

Allison and Andy took different buses, so Allison didn't see Andy for the rest of the day. Brian had the same bus route as her, but since he graduated a year early (he'd skipped the 4th grade and kept up with the rest) Allison sat all by herself in the back of the bus. She was so down. Andy actually felt sorry for her, and she couldn't feel worse if she'd shot President Reagan and killed him. Allison was one of the last stops on the route, so she pulled out her charcoal sketch pad and began doodling around with a charcoal pencil. She made several sad images in her book, but nothing she could turn into a piece for her art class. Every 3 minutes or so, the bus would stop, and a wad of people would get off. Allison was dropped off about ½ a mile from her apartment building, Ambrosia Towers, on Magnolia Lane with about 9 other kids (most of them were lower class like herself, Magnolia Lane wasn't exactly a part of the richie section of town where Andy lived). 

Once Andy got inside the apartment building where she lived, she check her apartment's mail slot (#17) and retrieved the 4-5 bills within. Her landlord, Mr. Samuels, was checking his own mail. Mr. Samuels was a sleazy fat old man. Allison once drew a picture of him hanging by his ankles in front of an oncoming train. No wonder he was 50 and single. He hit on her and every other single girl over 15 in the building.

"Miss Reynolds, remind your parents to pay their rent! They're behind a few months!" Mr. Samuels bugged. Allison was surprised as she began climbing the stairs that he hadn't tried to grab her ass (again). Maybe he was hungover. He got like that a lot more, and as horrible as it sounded, Allison and the 12 other girls/women he'd gone after at one point or another liked it better when he was hungover from overdoing the booze. Allison's apartment was on the top floor along with apartments 18, 19, and the 'penthouse apartment' down the hall (the penthouse wasn't bigger or better than the others…it was where Mr. Samuels himself lived and it made him feel more superior to label his letters "Fredrick Samuels, Ambrosia Towers Apartments, Penthouse").

She got into the apartment and went into the kitchen. Yet another note was taped to the refrigerator:

_We're gonna be stuck in Chicago tonight. Won't be home until tomorrow afternoon. Big court case we both need to be on. Leftover ham in the freezer for dinner. Lock the door on your way to school tomorrow._

_Danny & Marty_

Allison ripped the note off the fridge and tossed it over her shoulder. She hated ham. Instead, for a snack, Allison dug around in the cupboards until she found a brick of Ramen Japanese Noodles. She boiled a pan of water and dunked the noodles in; then she sat on the counter and looked out the window until they were done.

She felt a moving wad of fur smashing itself up against her feet. It was her skinny black cat begging for attention. Allison smiled. Only her cats could make her smile after dealing a miserable deal such as this.

"Hey Fritz," she greeted her cat. "Where's Ingrid?"

Fritz howled in delight. Almost as if on cue, a peanut-butter colored cat with twice as much body fat as Fritz came waddling into the kitchen, mewling for Allison. Sometimes she wondered if she really could communicate with her two old lazy pets. Before March 24th, 1984, they were her best friends on earth. "Ingrid, you pig in cat's fur! Did you eat all the tuna before Fritzi got to it again?"

Ingrid mewled, proud of herself. Allison groaned woefully and turned off the stove. Suddenly, she wasn't in the mood for noodles. She felt a fresh batch of tears welling in her eyes as she flopped onto the couch in the living room. Fritz and Ingrid followed her onto the sofa and began mewling more.

Allison just wanted to become a cat. At least if a cat fucked with another cat, they didn't have to worry about being forcibly torn apart afterwards.


	4. The Art of Recovery

On Thursday, Allison wanted to find Andy and apologize for being so moody. She'd spent a damn long time last night thinking that once Andy was gone, she'd regret ever arguing with him. Even if she believed she was in the right (and she still did) it was better to let Andy know she would await his return with great anticipation, and that she still loved him.

But something was wrong. Every time Allison caught a glimpse of Andy and tried to communicate with him, he'd turn away or ignore her totally. Allison wondered if Andy was being stubborn too. They both were stubborn creatures. But with two days until Andy moved to Kenosha, even Allison felt Andy was being harsh more than he was being stubborn. Several times, she'd approached him with the words "I'm sorry." And all those times, he found a way to avoid her.

It was getting close to the end of the day, and Allison knew that every day, she saw Andy in the hallways on her way to 8th period (French for Allison, History for Andy). It was the best chance she had of catching Andy. She even pretended to have a headache in Biology so she could get a head start to that fateful corner. Allison really hoped she could just apologize so she could be on good terms with Andy for Friday…their last day together. It would make the last day a LOT less painful for the two of them. Maybe Andy was feeling bad himself, but unlike Allison, he handled his pain and guilt passively. Allison was an extroverted reactor; Andy was introverted in all aspects. Andy liked fact, Allison like opinion. Allison was comfortable expressing herself. Andy would've rather put a bullet in his head than cry in front of people. It made Allison wonder what was different about March 24, 1984. Andy had openly expressed his feelings about his intense father when they sat in their circle, and there were even tears falling down his face. Maybe it was because he was talking about his father. Allison really wanted to see him hanging high above the town after the way he treated the two of them on Monday night. She knew for a fact Andy would want to be the one to put the noose around his father's neck and open the fatal trapdoor.

Allison leaned in her corner. The bell had just rung. Andy should've been arriving any minute.

Bingo. There he was, clutching his books at his side, looking around almost cautiously. Allison didn't like the look on his face. "Andy!" she called out. Andy didn't hear her. "Andy!" she hollered again. Andy looked in her direction. He then hung his head and began to walk past her. "Oh no you don't…"Allison muttered. She quickly pursued him down the hallway. She finally caught him near the attendance office and grabbed his shoulder. He couldn't ignore her now!

"Andy! Why are you ignoring me? You can't ignore me now! TELL ME! If it's me, I'm sorry! Andy, listen!"

Andy just stayed quiet. Allison couldn't believe him. "ANDY! PLEASE! I want us to be on good terms before you leave!! Andy!!!!" Allison was getting hysterically upset. Tears ran wildly down her face like a midsummer thunderstorm. She was red as a ripe apple, and shaking more than a baby tree caught in a Californian earthquake.

Allison couldn't stand this. He wasn't even looking her in the eye. She couldn't take it anymore. On an impulse, she took a swing. A powerful, passionately-driven swing. It landed on Andy's left cheek and was so strong, the inertia sent him hurdling into the row of lockers nearby. Even his wrestler's quick reflexes didn't prepare him for it. Andy smacked into the wall hard on his right side. It was right then he felt his knee weaken. He sank to the floor in a crouching position, holding his left cheek. Allison only looked at what she'd done for about 5 seconds before running down the hallway. She really needed to talk to someone. Anyone. Even if it was herself reflected in the girl's bathroom mirror.

Andy watched her as she ran down the hall and turned left and away from him. He fell back on his ass and felt himself crying…

What the hell was happening to him?

* * *

It was a little known fact that John Bender took art class. 

It was more widely known that he was FAILING art class.

Bender chose art class because he felt it was better than taking drama (too girly) or cooking (ditto) as an elective. He already had taken shop and auto science. What else was there but girlish classes? Of all of them, he'd decided that art was the least girlish. But, of course, he couldn't draw stick figures to save his life, so he obviously was flunking. Madame Valjean, the overly dramatic art teacher, had seen a glimmer of hope when she decided to get an art tutor for Bender from her advanced art class. It was almost a coincidence that out of all her advanced art student to choose from, she chose Allison to tutor Bender after school. It was Thursday, so as much as Allison wanted to go home and slit her wrists off, she had an obligation to teach Bender how to draw.

Bender immediately noticed Allison looking like she'd been the sole survivor of a train wreck. Her posture, her overall presence, was different. Bender had taken a special interest in Allison. She was almost like a specimen under his microscope. He'd come to memorize how she carried herself, her attitude. Sometimes he could even tell what time of the month it was for her (she'd wear pants instead of frumpy skirts for a week). He knew almost every little physical detail about her, just because, well, Allison fascinated him. He didn't think Andy had taken such detailed notice of her, which he felt was a crime on his part.

Allison literally slammed her homemade purse on the table and threw her pencil bag at Bender. "Depth. Draw it. Live it. Love it. Kill it," were her first words. Bender looked at her strangely, and then warily picked up a pencil.

"One problem, Psycho," he said ("Psycho" wasn't a bad name; he'd called her Psycho since they met out of friendliness. Allison liked it). "I don't know what the hell depth is!"

"Oh Jesus!" she yelled uncharacteristically. Bender leaned back.

"Something tells me we should be talking about psychology and not art," he said to himself. Allison overheard.

"Oh be quiet!" Allison couldn't stay pissed. Instead, she slowly melted into her incredibly depressed form. She sank to the floor and began sobbing. Bender looked at her, a heap of mess dressed in black on the floor at his feet. He sighed and thought a moment. He then leaned down next to her.

"What's eating you, Psycho?" he asked. Allison sniffed and looked up at Bender.

"Andy," was her only reply. Bender grew red in the face.

"What the hell did he do to you?" Bender asked with a rising hint of hatred in his voice.

"He's ignoring me," she said. "He's moving away and he won't even make up with me for a fight we had!"

Bender listened. It was funny how he listened to Allison more than Claire sometimes.

Allison continued after a pause to sniff again. "I couldn't stand it anymore. I…I hit him. Hard. In the face," Allison said.

"Wow, you deserve a medal," Bender said (he meant it too, but he purposely made his voice sound sarcastic).

"I thought it would make me feel better," Allison said. "But it only made me feel like hanging myself seeing him collapsed against the lockers like that. He looked like I've never seen him before. So…vulnerable!" she remarked.

"I wish you'd taken a picture," said Bender. Allison looked at him with a look of death. He rolled his eyes and held out a hand. Allison took his hand subconsciously, and he helped her to her feet. "Tell you the truth, Claire's gotten worse with Mr. Dickface. She wouldn't even tell me to leave her alone around her clones. She just walked away."

"I hate everyone! I hate this school, I hate his father, I hate everything!" Allison snapped. "Why is he blowing me off?"

"Why is Cherry-Queen blowing me off?" asked Bender in reply. Allison and Bender looked at each other silently for a moment.

"My god, is The Breakfast Club splitting up?" Allison asked with disgust and disbelief. Bender looked at his feet. He then realized he's never let go of Allison's hand.

"I dunno," he said, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. In reality, the possibility of a regression between them scared the shit out of him. "I bet if Dork was still here, we wouldn't be in this bad shape," he remarked. Brian, not being in a relationship within the group, had acted as the glue that held them together instead. Now that he was off to college, there was no glue. Nothing left to happen but for the walls to come tumbling down on the remaining four.

"I wanted to make peace with him before he left, but—"

"—wait. Does this have anything to do with your 'Monday night mission' up in his room?"

Allison nodded.

"He didn't dump you, did he?"

"No! But suddenly he has to MOVE! What does that mean? Tomorrow's his last day at school. I got mad at him, and now he's pretending I'm not alive!" Allison cried.

"If he was takin' advantage of you, I'll gladly kick his royal ass from here to Pittsburgh!" Bender said with a defiant tone.

"No, I was the one who asked for it. I came on to him," confessed Allison. She looked at the clock. "Madame Valjean will be back in an hour, get drawing," she said weakly.

"I could care less about art right now," he muttered, but he took up a pencil and aimlessly began sketching with one hand. He didn't even have his eye on the paper in front of him. "Cherry called me last night," he said. "She hasn't totally bailed."

"Oh?" asked Allison with fake interest.

"She just told me she had to cancel our night at Club Jupiter because Dickface was having a party. Douche bag," Bender said.

"John, at least Claire isn't moving away," Allison began.

"But she is. She's without a doubt starting to move away," Bender muttered. Allison bit her lip and looked out the window. The art room was on the second floor. Down below, a few teachers were walking to their cars, and a few students were waiting for a late bus. Andy was among the students. His cheek was still red, despite it having been about an hour since Allison had decked him. His eyes were just as red as his cheek, and he walked with a limp (his knee must have buckled on the way down).

"Psycho, you wanna come over?" asked Bender.

"What?" Allison turned to face Bender again. He was still drawing his assignment, but he was barely letting his pencil touch the paper.

"Aren't your parents away?"

"They were supposed to come back today, but I got a call from Mr. Hashimoto's office. My parents had called to tell me that they had to stay over the entire weekend," Allison answered.

"Come over to my place. My dad's in a holding cell in Chicago, so he won't be around for the weekend either."

"John, no. I really am not in the mood," said Allison.

"Listen, Al. Don't let that asswipe do this to you!"

"I can't help it! He broke me!" said Allison.

"Shit, this isn't you at all! You sound like Cherry when you whine like that! DON'T linger on it! You're above him, you hear! You've got so much more to offer in one fingernail, than he has locked up in his 20 trophy cases at home!" Bender said. Allison nodded and thought about this a moment. She shook her head.

"No, I won't come over, I'm sorry," Allison said coldly.

"Then you're gonna skip school with me tomorrow," said Bender. "No questions asked," he said. "Which will it be?"

Allison thought again. "Pick me up tomorrow at 10:30 at my place," she said. Bender smiled.

"You do need a break," he said. "I think we both do," he said. Allison nodded. Bender spoke again. "We haven't been beaten yet, Al. Not yet."

Bender finally lifted his hand from the page and looked down. So did Allison. She raised her eyebrows and looked up at Bender.

"John, that's not a bad drawing! Not bad at all..."


	5. Goodbye Love, Hello Hope

Bender and Allison spent Friday in Chicago, wandering most of the time…stopping twice in a convenience store, the first time for slushies, and the second time for nachos for lunch. Bender drove them around after lunch in his old El Camino. By the end of the day, they'd made their way out of Chicago and found the coast of Lake Michigan. They sat in the car trying to make small talk that had nothing to do with relationships (which was very hard).

"Do you know what time's he's leaving tomorrow?" asked Bender, lighting up a cigarette between his teeth.

Allison shook her head. "I would assume early," she said, sulking.

"You should go tell him goodbye before he leaves," Bender advised. Allison shook her head.

"What about his dad?"

"What's he gonna do, sue you?" asked Bender. Allison grunted and slipped down in her seat, crossing her arms. She could barely see above the dashboard. What she could see was a red sky reflecting over the lake. It was a breathtaking site. She had once witnessed it with Andy in her arms. They'd argued over what red skies at night meant. Allison had favored it meaning a sunny day the following morning, while Andy thought that the sailor's rhyme was reversed when over land, and it would rain the next day. As it turned out, Allison's theory held true, and the following day was just as beautiful as its predecessor. Thinking about this memory made a tear come to Allison's eye. She quickly wiped it away so Bender wouldn't notice it.

"What about you and Claire?" Allison asked back.

"She's finally come to her senses," Bender said. "She's meeting me on the commons for lunch tomorrow. I think she's gotten over Dickface," he said. Allison smiled, though not fully. At least ONE of the Breakfast Club's relationships wasn't going down the toilet. Good to know that while she and her own lover were being ripped apart, Bender still had his beauty queen to joke around with. "And you're going to meet us there after you say farewell to your 'Knight in Tights'," Bender demanded.

"I don't WANT him to leave! He just….PISSES me off so much sometimes! Why doesn't he want to speak to me?" Allison moaned, frustrated. Bender jumped a mile off his seat, as if Allison saying 'pisses' scared the shit out of him. She had literally screamed the word.

"But if you don't tell him goodbye, then if he does come back, what'll happen?" Bender asked seriously. Allison groaned.

"Since when did YOU become Dr. Bleeding Heart, John?" Allison snapped. "Just because you have your girlfriend back, you're acting like such a shithead!" Allison threw a fit and quickly got out of the car. Bender rolled down his window and stuck his head out.

"Where the hell are you going?" asked Bender.

"I'm taking the bus!" she yelled back, storming away, leaving Bender alone in the car with his cigarette, speechless.

* * *

"Kenosha-bound Clarks, coming through!" giggled Leigh Clark as she, her older sibling, and her parents, all huddled in the Bronco, began pulling out of the driveway. Andy sat next to her, looking out the window as the car crept to the edge of the driveway. He held a piece of folded paper in his hand, not knowing what to do with it. He unfolded it and stared at it again, sighing. The Bronco suddenly came to a halt. George grunted. 

"Is the hose broken? The engine temp's too high and we haven't even gotten on the road!" he growled, stumbling out of the car to pop the hood and take a look. Andy felt his heart pound. He needed an excuse to get out of the car. No…he couldn't just hop out, leave the paper, and get back in without George seeing him, or worse…the paper.

"Andy, what's that?" asked Leigh with a bratty singsong voice. Andy shot her a deadly look. Why was HE next to Leigh? Corinne was the quieter twin, but Kathleen had driven Corinne up to Kenosha to stay with her older brother Adam Clark the night before, so the Bronco could have more room for possessions (Andy's dumbbells in this case…George expected him to tone up his biceps with 100 reps each side before arriving in Kenosha around dinnertime). Leigh reminded Andy of Brian's little sister, Janey, (although Leigh was at least 4 years older than Janey) who annoyed Brian just as much.

"Why don't you mind your own business before I make it my business to put you in a headlock?" Andy said, more exhaustedly than threateningly. Leigh gave a 'hmph!' and leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms.

Andy saw his father shoving his head and upper-body into the hood of the car. Kathleen bit her nails nervously in the front passenger seat. She called, "Do you need help, George?"

"I left the goddamn monkey wrench in the garage! Get Andrew to get it!' George demanded. Andy lifted his head hopefully ands refolded the piece of paper in his hand. Kathleen turned to him.

"You heard your father," she said. Andy nodded and shot out of the car. This was his only chance.

Pretending to head into the garage, he instead shuffled through the old toolbox inside the door to the house, found a roll of tape, and stole a piece about the length of his thumb. He then turned to the outside of the door again and unfolded the piece of paper, sticking it to the door with the tape. He then managed to bolt into the garage with just enough time to grab a monkey wrench. He then ran and handed it to his father, and after that got back into the car, panting for breath.

In about 10 minutes, George had fixed whatever was wrong with the car and was ready to hit the road again. Andy bit his lip. This was it. Would Allison be able to find the paper? Or would the movers take it off the door when they came to move the bigger pieces of furniture? Still, it was all Andy could do. He sighed and then held in his breath as the Bronco pulled out into the street and began driving north.

* * *

Allison couldn't remember whether Andy lived on Polaris Path or Princess Place. Or was it Princess Path? Or Polaris Place? Ugh… 

She'd woken up that morning at the crack of dawn (a hardship for her) and gotten dressed. She wanted to get to her neighbor Miss Perry, who lived in apartment #18, next to hers, before she left the house. Allison wanted to bum a ride to Andy's place off Miss Perry, but unfortunately, she had missed Miss Perry. It was 7:45 when Allison stupidly made the decision to run to Andy's house…4 miles away. Allison was NOT a fan of running, nor was she good at it. She didn't want to wait for a bus. It could take to long. Every second she wasn't moving towards Andy's house could be the moment Andy pulled out of his driveway and headed off for Kenosha. So no matter how she hated running, Allison had been doing so for nearly 3 hours. She thought she was close…until she realized the richie street-naming committee seemed to forget that there were other letters to the alphabet besides the letter "P." She was lost in the rich part of town. Allison had never felt so out of place.

Out of breath, she finally started seeing familiar houses, and knew that Andy's house was close by. Good, she was starting to sweat and feel winded. She wanted to walk up to his house casually instead of at a run or jog, so she slowed her pace. She needed to look 'cool' in front of George Clark…maybe he wouldn't be so quick to turn her ass around and ship her back home. Allison looked at the old watch on her wrist. It was almost 11 in the morning. Andy's house was coming up, just a few more steps.

Once Allison walked into the driveway, she immediately felt a huge weight fall on her heart and shoulders.

Andy's father's Bronco wasn't there. The garage was open and empty. A moving truck was parked on the opposite curb, and a few buffed-up moving men were working to store the last of the furniture and appliances in the truck. Andy had left already.

Or maybe he hadn't. Allison walked onto the front lawn as the team of moving men worked busily around her. One of them looked up from his work and noted the strange presence of a girl dressed completely in black standing in the middle of the property. He had long brown hair and a round face.

"Hey Chuck! We gots a visitor!" he said. A man dragging a love seat behind him looked up. He must have been Chuck.

"Yeah, Judd! Lookie here! Missy, whatcha doin' here?" he asked. Allison hated strangers…especially jerky man-strangers.

"Did the family who lived here leave yet?" Allison asked, standing tall and proud.

"Yeah, two hours ago," said Judd. "Why, they forget you?"

Chuck laughed. "Or were they moving away from you?"

Allison shook her head, scowling. "I was dating their son."

"Seems weird, they weren't gonna move for at least a month. Anyway, they're gone and not comin' back now," said Judd. Allison felt her chest cave in. Never again? What happened to the month deal? Allison slowly began to realize that Andy had lied to her. Why would he tell her he would only be gone a month? Or make it seem less painful? Either way, the fact that it was a LIE made it all worse for Allison. She let the tears come (never mind the moving men) and sank to the grass, which was dry and felt like needles penetrating her skin.

"Aww…Missy, we're sorry. How's about we take you to Club Jupiter to make you feel better?" asked Chuck. Allison shot up and tried to recompose herself.

"No," Allison said meekly. She wanted to get off the grass. She relocated herself to the front stoop and laid on the steps, looking up at the overcast sky. A small brush of wind rustled something taped to the door. It was probably a "for sale" note on the door, or a message for the movers. Nonetheless, she sat up and brought herself to a standing pose, eye level with the paper. It was just a group of numbers…a phone number?

_(203) 451-9566_

Allison felt her chest begin to reinflate. Could this be Andy's new number in Kenosha? In the corner was an upside-down smiley face. Allison found a renewed hope well up inside her. It was Andy's and Allison's "special symbol." It was based on an inside joke Andy and Allison had over the summer. It was! What else could explain it?

Allison ripped the sheet off the door and folded it along the creased by which it had previously been folded. She placed the paper in her left front pocket and started for home. She was sad, but hopeful.

Just as she had been on Friday, March 23, 1984.

* * *

Her parents still weren't home from their trip as Allison made her way back into the apartment. She sighed and stared for a long time at the paper. Andy wouldn't be in Kenosha yet. She'd wait a day. She put the paper by her clock on the desk. Allison saw Fritz in the corner of her room and fell to the floor, bidding him to come over. Fritz obeyed, and Allison spent a good hour crying silently, petting Fritz (and Ingrid too, who couldn't stand not being the center of attention). 

A phone number WAS better than nothing, wasn't it?

The phone rang at about 2 in the afternoon. Allison picked it up. She didn't expect it to be Andy. It couldn't. He'd still be on the road as of now, probably decently south of Milwaukee. But nothing prepared Allison to hear Brian on the other line.

"Allison! It's Brian!"

Allison nearly dropped the phone. "Brian? You're…not at NYU…" she said certainly. She heard a siren through the phone, and that same siren was blasting out her window in perfect synchronization. Brian was in Shermer.

"No. I was given a scholarship for a freshman internship and I was sent to Chicago for a week to look for places who'd sign me so I can come back in January," Brian explained quickly. "But that's not the point—"

"—then why do you sound so panicked?" Brian's voice made him sound like he was hyperventilating or having an asthma attack. She knew Brian didn't have asthma.

"I'm over at John's house," Brian said. Allison pulled on her shoes. She had a feeling she was needed.

"John? What about him? What's wrong with him?" asked Allison.

"Al, you need to come over, and fast. I think John's gone crazy."


	6. Group Therapy

Allison found herself running again. She was beginning to really hate running.

This time, she headed south towards the worst part of Shermer. Allison saw Shermer in sections. The lower middle class people, old fogeys whose kids deserted them, and the artsy/secluded people like herself lived on the "Lower West Side". The slum/ghetto section of town where all the drug-pushing and crime happened was to the south on the "South Side." All the shopping and businesses were dead center. On the "Upper West Side" was where all the middle-class families lived (Brian lived up that way). On the "Upper East Side" was richie city. The golf course and country club were up that way. Claire lived on the Upper East Side. Andy (had) lived on the Lower East Side, where the upper-middle class people lived, along with the middle-class single people. Allison felt it was remarkable that so many different "boroughs" of Shermer existed all within less than a 6-mile radius. Allison was literally only a block away from the slum section of town…where Bender lived. Claire lived on the polar opposite end of town and she was only a few miles away from Allison.

However, as Allison ran down into the South Side, she didn't notice a lot of difference between her neighborhood and Bender's.

Bender's house wasn't exactly a house. It was an old firehouse that was abandoned long ago. It was pretty big until (ironically) the second floor burned down. Now it was only a one-story brick building with a huge garage and a small cellar that was once used as an A-bomb shelter in the 50's. Bender's room was that bomb shelter. Allison knew once she was inside she had to get downstairs. Jack and Roxanne Bender seemed to be absent from the house for the day. Good. It wasn't like either of them would have made things much better for anyone.

Allison moved aside the heavy door that led downstairs into the bomb shelter and climbed inside. Allison didn't like Bender's room. It was 10 feet underground, so there was no natural light that came in, and it was always so cold, even during the height of summer. It was lit by only a swinging light bulb in the center of the room. It was always a mess. Bender didn't even have a real bed. He only had an old futon and sleeping bag to use as a bed at night. She found Brian sitting (or cowering, if you will) in a corner of the room as Bender threw the hugest fit of anyone's lives. Things were broken and scattered all around the freezing cold dark room. And Bender was as purple as a ripe bunch of grapes, pacing the room furiously.

"John?" called out Allison, weakly. Bender didn't look up. Instead, Brian, his back against the wall, made his way over to Allison. Allison sat down on the staircase. Brian sat beside her, looking just as freaked out as she did.

"Claire called it off with him today," he said. Allison widened her eyes.

"WHAT?!" she said back, shocked.

"Claire invited him to lunch downtown and told him that she felt she couldn't stay with him anymore," Brian said.

"Did she say WHY?"

"No," said Brian. "I came over to see him, and he threw a book out the front window and rammed his fist against the wall a few times before I let myself in. I've been listening to him wreck the place for an hour, and I figured you'd…you'd need to be here."

So, this was what remained of a once thriving group five-people strong. Allison looked around the room. Brian was shaking, shell-shocked from the prolonged and violent fit Bender was throwing. She observed Bender, swishing his hair around, sweat dripping from the corners of his forehead. And then she looked at herself, forced to help solve a relationship problem while she herself was recovering from being abandoned. So much for The Breakfast Club. Now it was more like The Morning Cup of Coffee Club. Not even that. The Snooze Button Club. What a tragic downfall. Allison felt her eyes well up again, but she choked them back. This moment wasn't about her.

"JOHN! I'M HERE!" Allison suddenly screamed.

"That won't work—" Brian began to say. But he stopped…because Bender stopped. Allison's ears felt strangely hollow, like before a tornado hits. Bender was looking at Allison now. He was silenced.

"She left for Dickface," Bender said after a minute. Allison nodded and stood up. She walked cautiously over to Bender and looked up at him. Bender fell onto his futon in an exhausted heap. "She told me I wasn't worth her time anymore and she felt we both deserved better," he hissed.

"You deserve better. She doesn't," Allison replied.

"GODAMNIT! I'm so pissed I could deck someone!"

"I know," said Allison.

"She said her friends are 'afraid' of me and that she doesn't think it's fair to abandon her first friends on a count of me!" Bender explained. "She also said that Dickface was a lot like me, so I shouldn't feel so bad!"

"Andy left this morning. I think he left me a phone number. But he didn't wait for me to say goodbye," Allison moaned. "I don't even know if we're on good terms or not. We're as good as dead ourselves," she informed Brian.

"That's horrible," Brian muttered. "And I'm only going to be in town for a week," he saying with disbelief.

"My god, what's happening to us?" Allison sighed. "Is this really the beginning of the end?" She sat down next to Bender on the futon and began irrelevantly fingering his hair. Strangely, Bender let her run her fingers though his hair and didn't try to stop her.

"I don't want us to die like this," Brian said, desperately shaking his head. "I don't want to go back to the way things were this time last year."

"Me neither. This time last year I had no one," Allison muttered.

Brian moaned. "Neither did I."

"It's Claire's goddamn fault," Bender muttered. Allison shook her head quickly.

"Andy left me too, John. I think they both are just…well…afraid," said Allison.

"Bitch," Bender hissed again. "I just…I just…"

Allison nodded. "Me too."

* * *

For the next 3 hours, Bender, Brian, and Allison all sat on Bender's futon in his room and lamented, moped, and just felt miserable together. It almost made Allison feel good to feel bad with the leftovers of The Breakfast Club. They consoled each other, bashed Claire for her cowardice, argued about whether Andy was coming back or not, and just tried to find solace in each other's company. It was a bittersweet afternoon. It probably would have gone on forever had Bender not heard his father stumble into the house drunk. He didn't want Allison and Brian to 'bump' into his drunken father, so he had them sneak out through the window in the stairwell. 

Allison and Brian went their separate ways after a few steps. Brian needed to get back to his hotel in Chicago so he headed for the bus stop on the corner. Allison didn't want to go home, because she knew her parents would be home by now. Instead, she just chose to wander around. It got dark after awhile, and Allison wandered without any conscious idea where she was headed. For the first time that autumn, it was getting chilly out (even though it usually didn't right away). The stars were obscured by overcast clouds. Too many thoughts of fear, loneliness, and anger clouded Allison mind that with every step she got a little dizzier.

How could Claire just up and leave Bender like that? At least Andy had given Allison 3 day's notice before he cut himself out of her life! And it wasn't like Andy didn't want to be with her! Claire was being a fool. A foolish bitch. Bender did deserve better than her. Claire needed to grow a backbone before she could be as open-minded as she pretended to be. Allison spat bitterly on the ground at some man's feet as he passed. The man didn't yell, but he jumped about 5 feet off the ground.

As far as Andy went, maybe he was no better than Claire. He'd given her the cold shoulder treatment after that day in the courtyard. He hadn't bothered to try and make the most out of there separation. Truth be told, Allison thought long-distance relationships were a little romantic. Andy and Allison could keep up with calls and letters until the time they were able to meet again. But maybe Andy didn't see that…

Suddenly, a familiar voice made Allison's head shoot up.

"So I told her that she REALLY needed to get back to reality!"

It was Claire in a low-cut purple sundress (wasn't she COLD?), surrounded by two of her "friends." One was a VERY blonde girl with a size 2 waste and heels taller than Allison's calves. The other was an African American girl with frizzy curls and a slutty miniskirt barely covering her thighs (weren't they ALL cold?). Allison felt like she was dressed as a nun looking at them.

But she had to talk to them.

Claire walked right by Allison as if she was blending in with the brick wall behind her. Allison squeaked in anger and followed them. The black girls noticed her first.

"Claire, is she STALKING us?" the girl sneered. Claire turned around. Allison observed how Claire's expression changed from happy to nervous. Claire turned and asked her friends to give them a moment. The blonde sneered.

"Ugh, you KNOW her?" she asked.

"Just meet me outside Marley's," Claire ordered. The two richie girls nodded and turned the corner, looking over their shoulders constantly. Claire walked cautiously up to Allison.

"He told you, didn't he?" Claire asked warily. Allison nodded silently. She often found that being silent intimidated people more than when she talked. Claire paused a moment. "You understand where I'm coming from? You're a girl…"

Allison shook her head ominously. Claire obviously was only intending to separate herself from Bender…because Allison sure didn't seem taboo to her. That was just plain wrong. Allison hated this.

"…I don't understand."

"Look, Allison, we can still be friends…am I right?"

"You are not right," Allison frowned. "Why did you do that to John? That was low, Claire."

"Allison! You need to understand the pressure my friends have been—"

"—didn't you play that card last spring?" Allison asked. Claire felt her face go red. "And then didn't you learn that you're not the only one who has to deal with pressure? We're you even THERE that day?"

Claire was beginning to cry. For once in her life, Allison did not sympathize. "No…I mean…yes, but—"

"I really hope you're happy with your rich life. I'm not just saying that to make you feel bad. Because I already feel bad for you. If you're new lover snubs you one day, you'll be trapped on the outside, and I'm not thinking that John will let you back in with me and Brian…" Allison gave Claire the meanest look she'd ever given anyone. Claire's shoulders dropped as Allison turned around to leave Claire standing there all alone.

* * *

Allison fell into her apartment crying. She hated life right now. Why was the world turning against Bender, Brian, and herself? How could life possibly get worse? Allison was two people away from being alone again. She was holding onto her friendships for dear life. She knew that a few blocks over, Bender was feeling the same way: hanging by a thread. Bender may have actually HAD friends last year, but he sure as hell wasn't Mr. Popular. All of his friends from last year were either in jail, on the lam, or in Canada now. So Bender was in the same boat as she was. 

Maybe they could just float together. At least they had each other. And when Brian came home on breaks, he could join them. But for the most part, Bender and Allison were the fallout of what had once been an explosion of happiness between 5 unique people.

"Danny, you think we should have pea soup or lentils for supper?"

"Pea soup, Marty."

Allison groaned. Her damn parents were home. The icing on the cake of a great day. Allison sank to the living room sofa and curled herself into a fetal position and cried. After about 30 minutes, she saw her father's pant leg out of the corner of her eye.

"Allison?"

He knew her name! Things were looking up already!

"Danny?" Allison looked up at her father. She called them by their first names…and they didn't mind (or care). Maybe he was comforting her for once? Was he hearing her sobs?

"It's almost dinner, go set the table and unload the dishwasher," Danny ordered. Allison felt herself shaking.

"Fuck you," she muttered.

"What was that?"

Allison couldn't take anymore of this. "You heard me. FUCK. YOU."

With that, Allison stormed into her room and slammed the door, leaving Danny Reynolds very perplexed.


	7. Rainy Haze and Sundays

Allison couldn't sleep a wink Saturday night, and for good reason. She spent until 2 AM sketching some very depressing faceless figures, and then simply laid herself face down on her bed, silent tears pouring down her face, occasionally stroking Fritz and Ingrid when they craved attention. Allison's mind was full to bursting…but at the same time, very empty. Where was she going with her life? Allison didn't realize just how dependent on Andy she had been. Without him, she was missing a piece of herself. Claire isolating herself didn't exactly help either. As if Allison felt bad enough by herself, the fact that Claire only intended to reject Bender and keep her relationship with Allison made Allison feel guilt as well as vulnerability. It wasn't fair to Brian and Bender. If they went, then so did she. There wasn't a single regret Allison had about that decision. But she didn't like Claire's favoritism. Playing favorites was a disgusting thing.

Allison, suffering physically now from insomnia, got out of bed at 6 AM on Sunday to see if she could try eating her pain away (it worked once before, but since last spring she'd never seen a use for eating away her sorrow). Her parents went to early church services (Danny was Catholic, Marty went with him solely out of habit, and they never pressured their daughter to go to Religious ed. or anything) and were gone by the time she arrived in the kitchen. Ingrid was gluttonously chomping away at the cats' food bowl. Allison sighed got a bowl, pouring Rice Krispies into the bowl. After finding out there was no milk, Allison shrugged and reached for orange juice. After taking a few bites of the cereal, she reached up into a cabinet and found a pepper shaker. She shook some pepper into the cereal and took a few more bites. For once, what she was eating was exactly what she tasted. Allison spit out the cereal, threw the bowl into the sink, and ran back into her small room.

Allison groaned and looked at the phone on the small desk. She found the paper Andy left her right next to it. It may have been 6:30 in the morning, but love knows no alarm clock. Allison took a deep breath, sighed, and picked up the receiver; her fingers flew over the buttons as if she'd memorized the number already. She heard a dial tone, so the phone in Andy's new place was obviously hooked up.

Suddenly, a wave of fear broke over Allison, and she hung up the phone on the third ring.

* * *

Allison tried twice more to call the number. The second time, Allison actually heard Kathleen Clark's voice ask, "Hello? Clark residence…" before she hung up. The third time, Allison said, "Ah, fuck it," and hung up before the second ring. 

The stress Allison built up while trying to gather the balls to call Andy welled up quickly. Allison decided to go for a slow walk (no running this time). She got out of her pajamas and threw on a long-sleeved black t-shirt, a dark purple ankle-length skirt, and wrapped her thick black woolen scarf tightly around her neck. She picked up her handmade bag and stuffed it full of Cheese-it crackers in case she got hungry.

Just like last night, Allison wandered without a destination. The air was damp and cold…there undoubtedly was a storm coming. Maybe it'd turn into freezing rain if it came before noon. Allison almost felt comfortable noting the sudden change in the weather. It hadn't really been cold and dark like this until yesterday, when everything changed for the worse in her friendships and relationships. It mean (at least to Allison) that Mother Nature was in her favor. Allison had always had a bond with nature that she could never explain, but it always send a chill down her spine. Every time something in her life happened, the weather would act accordingly. The day she met The Breakfast Club, it was the first sunny day after a whole week of rain. The day during the summer when Andy had gone in for minor knee surgery, the weather was hot, hazy, and everyone knew a terrible front was coming, but it hung suspended to the west, as if Allison's own life was in suspension…waiting for Andy. The day Andy was discharged, the front picked up speed and passed over Shermer…but it wasn't nearly as intense a storm as anticipated…there was hardly any thunder, and a calm, heavy, relieving rain was all Allison felt. When she was nine, she lost her grandmother to a stroke, the only woman besides herself to point out Danny & Marty's inadequate parenting skills. The day after she passed, a small string of tornadoes ripped through Shermer and the southern suburbs, as if Allison's anger at her dear granny's death was being taken out on the wind. Allison's parents were at work late that day, so she took shelter by herself in the basement of the apartments. Being alone and afraid like that was a feeling that had never left Allison since.

The sky was fully light now, and it was coming on 10 in the morning. People began filling the sidewalks and the streets as Allison walked among them. Unlike business people who were the pedestrians on work days, today, it was families and friends would walked along, dressed up nicely (churchgoers) or fashion-conscious (the teens who used Sunday as a shopping day). Despite the fact that Allison wasn't a religious person, she sometimes secretly wished for Danny and Marty to take her to church with them, just for a FAMILY day! That really wasn't a lot to ask. Well, for a basketcase, it was, apparently.

Allison stopped at a street corner and looked up at the St. Margaret's Church clock tower. Just as she decided to turn on her heels and head for home (she had a bit of homework to do) she again heard a familiar voice chit-chatting away. Raising an eyebrow, Allison peeked her head around the corner. Indeed, it was Claire again, this time talking with a young man (Dickface?). He was taller than Claire, with a muscular body and a handsome face. He wore a stylish sportcoat. His black hair and naturally tanned body made him look like a movie star. When he smiled, his perfect set of bleached-white teeth blinded Allison (and she was 15 feet away). Claire looked at him like a sick puppy looks at it's owner. Allison let out air from her nose in small puffs, like a bull ready to charge. Bender had given up his polygamist trends and a few aspects of his old lifestyle for Claire. This guy looked like nothing short of a teenage pimp. If Bender had once had a wallet full of girlfriends (supposedly…Allison had never seen it), then this guy probably had an entire brothel-full of girls waiting for him somewhere. Disgusting. And Claire accepted him because he was rich and 'socially acceptable.'

"I have to go, CC!" Dickface grinned as he let Claire out of their embrace.

CC? Where did the second C come from? Claire's middle name?

"Okay, I'll see you later!" Claire said dreamily. Dickface quickly left a tiny, unfeeling kiss on the edge of Claire's lips and went along his way. When Allison saw Bender kiss Claire, his kisses were passionate and sincere, not to mention they made Allison jealous (Andy wasn't too fond of kissing in public, he would only do so on a whim). Claire just stood there and sighed like she was under a hypnotic spell.

Allison couldn't stand this anymore. This was too much for her to watch. On another one of her violent impulses, she lunged at Claire, who was completely taken by surprise, and pinned her to the cement. Claire tried to fight back as best she could, but Allison held her down. Allison then began kicking and slapping, and Claire fought back with a few hits of her own. People were beginning to stare (a few teenage boys down the street were hollering and cheering them on…perverts). But Allison didn't care. She had started, and she sure as hell wasn't going to stop soon.

"ALLISON! What…stop it….ouch! Get off me!"

Allison didn't stop until she caught her breath enough to speak. "How dare you?"

"How dare I wha—OW!"

"John is twenty times the gentleman that moron will EVER be! Are you jealous he doesn't have a Porsche or a limousine? Is that it? Or are you afraid your entourage will abandon you if you didn't go with that dipshit? He's bad news, why didn't you listen to John and me? WHY?"

Claire didn't speak.

"TELL ME! And I swear to god, say the word 'pressure' in ANY form and I'll—"

"My parents threatened to take things away if I kept seeing John!" Claire made up off the top of her head. Allison grunted. What bullshit.

"And did they threaten to make you go to bed early to? That's complete and utter bull-FUCKING-shit, and you know it!" Allison hissed. "You're a coward, you know that? So afraid of what's going on over your head that you fail to see what's going on 3 feet in front of you! John's a wreck without you! Brian had to come home from college just to make sure he didn't hurt anyone…or himself!"

"Brian's home?" Claire half-wittedly tried to change the subject. Allison slapped Claire with fury again. She pulled herself to her feet and kicked Claire's expensive boots. A large black scuff mark was left in the wake. Claire herself was shaking quite violently. Allison knew she'd gotten through to her. Somehow, Allison also knew that Claire wasn't going to change after her black eye healed. Pity. Claire could have used some self-defense lessons from herself and John.

"You're useless," Allison spat. She never thought that in her entire life she'd use words with such venom. But her adrenaline was drowning her and she couldn't control her anger. Claire had triggered nearly a whole new side to her. A side that wanted more than anything to set things right. In her desperate state to reunite everyone, Allison had unwillingly turned to violence. She felt John Bender's presence in her soul, cheering her on. She also felt Andy Clark's presence in her soul, scolding her. Where was Allison's own presence in this whole mess?

Claire began to stumble to her feet. She looked at Allison with a look of sadness. "Why?" she mouthed. "I didn't do anything to you!" Claire said, emphasizing the word "YOU." Allison rolled her eyes. Favoritism again.

"You KNOW what this is about, Claire," Allison mouthed. Claire stared helplessly at Allison, who gritted her teeth and snarled like a wild animal. "I swear, if you come near John again, unless it's on your knees begging for forgiveness, I'll make this look like a square dance, got it? I'll kill you. You have no right to be around him, Brian, or me for that matter! Claire, I don't know what went through your mind last spring. Did you figure you'd string us along for a while for fun? Have you always talked with us, then laughed about it with your rich friends behind our backs? Ugh…You're a disgusting hypocrite, and I hope you're VERY satisfied with yourself! Now get away from me!" Allison felt the word puke spewing onto the street like a black cloud. Claire nodded, bit her lip.

"I loved him, you know," Claire muttered to Allison softly.

"Love knows no dollar value. If you'd have known that, you'd still be on the other side of the street," Allison said coldly, turning to leave. She didn't look back once at Claire.

Turning the street corner in the other direction, she then began the hot tears scalding her face as they ran freely. Allison looked at the sidewalk where the tears fell and hit the pavement. While she wasn't looking, she bumped into someone. She looked up. John Bender stood in front of her. What had he seen? Allison saw the look on his face. It was an extremely rare look, anyone who'd been on the receiving end of this look had been touched by an angel. Allison raised an eyebrow and looked at John in return. The silence spoke volumes.

"Thanks," John muttered.


	8. Fender Bender's Auto Shop

The next few moments were awkward ones. Bender and Allison just stared at each other a moment. Allison was suddenly very embarrassed of the display she'd put on in front of the entire town…and now that someone she knew had seen it, she'd wished she'd pulled Claire into the alleyway or something.

Bender saw her turn red. Why? She'd just done the #1 most incredible thing anyone had ever done for him in his life. His own parents wouldn't defend him so loyally like that! Allison certainly was one in a million.

"You wanna grab a bite? It's almost lunchtime," Bender said. Allison shook her head.

"I don't have any money with me," Allison said, sighing woefully afterwards. Bender shrugged.

"I know a guy who can hook us up," Bender said. "You gotta not mind eating in a garage, though. You won't, will you?" Allison shook her head again. Bender smiled. "Nah, I figured. It's only a block away. My band rehearses there and my cousin Ernie runs the place." Bender and Allison began walking, Allison having so many thoughts in her head that she could barely walk erect.

Allison thought it was odd that after "Thanks," he hadn't mentioned Allison jumping Claire in his defense at all. Now it was suddenly worth talking about eating lunch in an auto shop and cousin Ernie? Allison wrinkled her nose. As was the ways of John Bender. He didn't like mushy prolonged "Thank you"s much. Allison knew in her heart that he was grateful…but internally.

Only a few steps brought the pair to a two-story auto ship with three garage doors and an office entrance. All three garage doors were open, a car being worked on by a few mechanics. The garage was labeled "Fender Bender's Garage." Ernie was on Bender's father's side if he still had the "Bender" name. Allison and Bender went through the far left garage door. A radio was blasting rock music by Queen over the loudspeaker, and a few of the men were singing along and goofishly dancing to the tune. In the corner of the garage, to Allison's surprise, was a small carpeted nook with a few small sofas and a spot where Bender's band could be set up easily. Allison could tell this was where the band rehearsed, because a drum set covered by a clear tarp and an empty keyboard stand were set up in the nook. A candy and soda machine stood side by side in this nook as well, up against the wall. A short, puny man with shaggy hair spotted Bender and suddenly looked perky. Allison giggled. Standing next to John, Ernie looked like a midget.

"Hey coz!" Ernie yelled joyfully. Bender smiled and leaned down to whisper in Allison's ear.

"Look out for him…he's a dingleberry with whipped cream!" he joked. Ernie laughed as he went to hug his cousin (albeit a manly hug).

"Johnny, man! What's the news from South Shermer? Haven't seen you since x-mas, man!" Ernie said excitedly. Before Bender could answer, Ernie looked up and down Allison. "What happened to Big Red?"

Bender was silent. Allison bit her lip. Ernie nodded.

"Dumped?" Allison looked at Bender. He was visibly uncomfortable. But he probably wouldn't speak for himself. Allison decided that she had to.

"Well, not exactly—"

"—yes," said Bender. Allison was startled by Bender opting to speak for himself. "Dumped me for a boneheaded Dickface!" he sneered. Ernie was about to ask if that meant Allison was his rebound, but Allison shook her head, and Ernie understood everything, and kept quiet.

"So…what brings you here?" asked Ernie. Allison instantly took a liking to Ernie. He definitely was rough around the edges, but he clearly was like John…an M&M. A hard shell, but sweet and soft inside. Too bad the Bender family seemed to prefer the outer shell.

"We're starving, butthole," Bender said, snickering. Ernie laughed.

"I missed ya around here man! Wanna introduce the lady to my partners in crime?" asked Ernie. Bender nodded. "Alright, three for the Fender Bender Express!" Allison laughed now. Ernie was also very corny.

"This is Jeb…" Ernie said, pointing to an older, scruffy-looking man with a goatee fixing something in the hood of a red BMW. He looked up and waved at everyone before quickly getting back to his work. "…and Jason…" a brown-haired man in his late 20's flashed a peace sign from his spot behind the red BMW.

"Jason plays bass in the band with me, too bad his singing sucks," said Bender. Allison smirked and waved back at Jason. Jason, hearing Bender, held up his middle three fingers.

"Read between the lines, dildo!" he joked. Again, Bender laughed.

Boy, Allison thought. They sure have a cruel way of joking with each other! If someone had done that to him in school, Bender would have them looking out of two black eyes for a month.

"And this is Harry, Jude, Alden, Mack, Mark, Marc, Marco, Mitch, Fred, Joe, Little Joe, Big Joe, Jackass Joe, Lumberjack Joe…" Ernie said, pointing at each guy, and them waving back.

Did ANYONE know more than 3 names anymore? Allison thought it was interesting that John's name was so unique in this group of grease monkeys.

"And this is our newest jerk: Jerry!" Ernie said, pointing at a handsome young man about 3 years Allison's senior. He had a nice face and roughly combed red hair. Allison liked his smile. Jerry smiled at Allison and mocked a bow.

"Pleasure," he said. Allison blushed. Ernie rolled his eyes.

"Oh Christ! Not another one! Missy—"

"—I'm Allison," said Allison. Ernie nodded.

"Allison, be wary of Jerry. He's got his Ellie at home."

"Ellie?"

"Girlfriend," Jerry sighed woefully. "God bless the blind date!" Allison was confused, and Jerry could see that. "My friends set me up, and since then she's been glued to my side. What's a guy supposed to do, Allison?" Jerry smiled. Allison shrugged, which made him chuckle.

"Jerry, can you show our guests to their table while I scavenge up some eats?" asked Ernie. Jerry nodded. Bender almost immediately stepped in between Jerry and Allison, almost as if he wanted to put a wall between them. This didn't disturb Allison. Her mind was still in 100 different places. Jerry led them back across the garage into the office area. The office really wasn't much more than a desk littered with various papers and items, a small TV in the corner, a clock on the wall, and a door on the opposite side of the room. Jerry pulled a key out of his pocket and went to the second door, unlocking it. After Jerry opened it, Allison was pleasantly surprised to see a small secret stairwell leading up. The stairwell smelled like motor oil and stale gas as Bender, Allison, and Jerry climbed the stairs. Jerry opened another door to reveal a huge vacant space (the second floor of the garage).

This vacant space was incredibly huge (the garage downstairs was so cluttered it seemed a lot smaller). A worn wooden floor graced the bottom. Windows surrounded the two long walls, floor to ceiling windows. Allison could see a large bathroom with even a shower (it did look unused for a long time). It was sunny out for a moment, but through the huge windows, Allison saw ominous sets of black clouds looming to the west. It would be a big thunderstorm that hit them…and it looked about an hour away.

"I'm sorry there's no table," said Jerry. "The Pattersons moved out, as you can see, Johnny."

Bender nodded. "They just scared away customers downstairs anyways. Dumbasses," he muttered. Allison wished she'd known Bender longer. This was a very interesting building. The ceiling to floor windowpanes reminded Allison of Andy's old sunroom. "We won't mind eating on the floor, right Psycho?" he asked Allison. She nodded. Jerry nodded.

"You guys look beat. I'll tell Ernie to tell Mingo to rush that chow mein…that's alright?"

Bender and Allison nodded now in unison. Jerry bowed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Allison looked at Bender. "Mingo?"

"The weird Chinese guy in the take out place next door. He gives us free food if we fix his delivery cars." Allison nodded. She whirled herself around. "You like this place?"

"It's so roomy! Bigger than my whole apartment!" Allison said.

"It used to be an apartment that a newlywed couple rented out from us. But they'd always tell us to turn off the noisy music and the huge generators and drills…and we told them they should have thought about that before moving above an auto shop! Talk about morons! Anyways, they had a baby and moved out after that. So now this is just the useless second floor," Bender said. "The guys have been discussing using it for storage of old parts or something. I dunno. I don't work here."

"I think I'd like to live here. It's like a huge sunroom! Imagine at night, you could see stars and stuff from your own bed!" Allison said. Bender shook his head.

"No. We're right downtown, it's always too bright to see stars. You'd have to go back to my place to even see one star. We're pretty close to Chicago too, so that doesn't help."

Allison nodded. It was incredibly roomy in that room. She wouldn't really mind the noise downstairs. Actually, she through if she was bored, she could go down there and talk with the workers and jam to the radio. Allison wondered why nobody had bothered to rent the space already. It made Allison never want to go home.

"Lunch is served!" Ernie said proudly, coming up with a handful of Chinese food cartons and such. Allison's eyes glowed. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she smelled the food. Ernie had a yellow blanket draped over his shoulder. He handed the food to Bender as he set the blanket out on the floor, then proceeded to set things up like a picnic. "I'm sure you don't mind eating out of the cartons? Allison isn't a germaphobe or nothing?"

Allison shook her head. "We're all human. We all have the same germs in some way or another."

Ernie grinned widely. "She's a smartie! Well, we just got a jeep in with an antifreeze leak, so I gotta go down and make sure Lumberjack Joe doesn't poison himself again…"

"…wasn't that Jackass Joe?" asked Bender. Ernie shook his head.

"No. Jackass Joe tried setting Mark and Marco on fire with his mind and got his hair stuck in the fan belt," said Ernie.

"Oh, that's right!" said Bender. Allison had to laugh. She felt that she was missing out on knowing about this place and these people. Being at home was like living under a rock. Maybe if she'd known them sooner, she wouldn't have gone so long without friends.

Allison looked out and window and opened a carton of rice. She found a pair of chopsticks among the cartons and immediately started eating with them. Bender had been stabbing at a broccoli floret with a single chopstick, then resorted to using his hands. Seeing Allison be so fluent with chopsticks made him stare.

"You eat takeout a lot?" asked Bender. Allison nodded.

"My parents are out all the time. They're home less than 3 times a week, and I can barely boil water without burning it—"

"—ah!" Bender nodded, understanding. It was similar at his house. Only Jack pissed at Roxanne to make a pot pie…and Roxanne couldn't. SO Bender would end up running down to the store and getting a frozen one. Some nights, he'd eat Mingo's food with Ernie in the garage in between sets with his band.

"Do you guys just rehearse down there, your band?" asked Allison.

"On Saturday night sometimes we'll gather a small crowd, and they'll sit on the couches and listen to us. We're called **Jesus and the Pirates**," said Bender. Allison spit out a clod of rice and laughed louder than she had yet to laugh.

"JESUS and the PIRATES?" Allison laughed. Bender looked pleased that she was laughing.

"I'm Pirate #2," said Bender with mock-pride. "Our drummer is a Latin guy whose name is pronounced Hay-zeus…but we call him Jesus because that's how it's spelled."

"That name kicks ass," said Allison. Bender took a bite of chow mein. Suddenly, Claire and Andy invaded her mind again, and Allison sighed. "It's good to know we're not totally alone. I mean, with Andy leaving me and Claire skunkbagging you," Allison said.

"Assholes, both of them," said Bender.

"You can't blame Andy, really," said Allison. "He didn't WANT to abandon me. He left a phone number, you know," said Allison.

"You called him?"

"Well…no. I chicken out," Allison said, blushing. Bender shrugged it off. "John?"

"What?"

"Will you still hang out with me on Monday?" asked Allison.

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because Brian went back to NYU early…it'll just be us two from now on," Allison said. The rain suddenly hit outside. It clattered against the glass like pebbles. Allison liked the way the water running along the glass distorted everything outside. It reminded her of how she and Andy sat in his sunroom watching the rain fall.

"I don't see much of a difference," Bender said coldly.

"Aren't you afraid? I am," said Allison. Bender quickly shook his head and stuffed his mouth with a spring roll.

He didn't want to tell Allison that he was more afraid than she was.

* * *

_**A/N: **"Jesus and the Pirates" was the name of an old garage band in my hometown, and i thank them for allowing me to use their names here (their actually NAMES appeared here as some of the auto mechanics). luv u guys...you were better than "Fallout Boys" or "Black Eyed Peas" will ever be!_


	9. Her Pain, His Pain

_**A/N: **I'm hitting a stride with this as far as chapters go. That's why this one's up so soon. After this it might be as little as tomorrow or as alate as next week. I've been dealing with a few domestics probs (death of a family member, and my drunk dad went into rehab again about the same time). So I write when i find a moment...then out of nowhere (and at the least convenient time) my muse will bite me and i write ideas in my little notepad. Forgive me if chapter updates are sporadic and such. Enjoy this! Sadie

* * *

_

Two months passed slowly but surely since that day in the garage. Allison and Bender did keep up their friendship, and they called Brian (who'd gone back to NYU) and reassured him that they as a threesome would be twice as strong as they were as a fivesome. This seemed to comfort Brian, and every other weekend, they'd call each other to check up.

As for Andy, well, obviously because he didn't show up on Allison's doorstep in the month's time that he promised, he'd lost the bet and didn't even realize it. He'd found incredible popularity in Kenosha (particularily with the women), and embraced it, as was natural for him. Allison never called. The phone number still waited by the phone, untouched. Allison was still too afraid of calling him. She knew she'd gather the guts up to do so one day. But Andy had moved on, and well, so did Allison. Her reinforced friendship with Bender made her realize that she never noticed him enough. He and his band of misfit/rebels were a fun gang, and Allison was welcomed in their circle nicely.

Bender, in turn, had taken a little longer to force Claire out of his mind, particularly because she still lived nearby, and it was hard for Bender not to turn around and see her walking around with Mr. Dickface in tow. Usually if a joint wouldn't cure that, a long talk with Allison would. Bender found it ironic that when having a deep conversation with the girl, she seemed saner, wiser, than most normal people would. It was a shame that they both decided to keep their heads in the clouds for too long.

It was the second Monday in November now. Allison sat by herself in the corner of the cafeteria where she always sat. Bender would join her shortly with two of his stoner friends, Rudy and Tad. Both were tall, fairly decent looking, muscular guys with a liking for mischief. The four of them: Rudy, Tad, Bender, and Allison, made quite the team (except Allison still didn't like their smoking sessions. Something about pot always irked Allison, so she'd always withdraw until they sobered up). Allison sighed and looked out the window and waited with her unopened lunch bag. She had absolutely no appetite. Lately, she'd been feeling waves of nausea. She had the feeling that she was coming down with something. The nausea always came about in the morning and would be gone by lunch. But after that, she wouldn't have any appetite and she'd have to pee like hell, almost as if her bladder had shrunken about 3 inches in circumference. It was odd, she'd been sick before, but never in this weird pattern.

"What's new, Psycho?"

Allison looked up as her three new friends sat down around her. Allison smiled to the best of her ability. Bender noticed she looked a little pale, but he didn't say anything.

"I blasted a snot rocket at Vernon in history!" said Tad, proudly (Tad was the gross-out king who lived off of nasty bodily fluids and watching Animal House).

Bender laughed. "Did it hit him in the eye?"

"Guys, be cool in front of the lady!" insisted Rudy, who was the mature one. He always insisted on acting like their age. Nobody listened, so he'd usually end up joining them in their childish games. Allison liked it when Rudy told them to act nicely in front of her. It made her feel like she was worth something.

"I didn't even do it on purpose!" Tad said, ignoring Rudy. "I sneezed and the next thing I knew, Dick was wiping his cheek and assigning me a Saturday!"

"Finally, some company!" Bender sighed. Allison snorted. She'd gone to Saturday detention with Bender EVERY Saturday since Andy and Claire ditched them. Bender cleared his throat. "Finally! Some company who'll actually smoke with me!" Allison rolled her eyes.

Just then, Claire, arm-in-arm with Mr. Dickface, walked past the table with a few of her richie friends behind them. It almost looked like a wedding procession. Allison brushed her nose with her finger. Bender knew what that meant, and turned around and gave an intimidating look to Claire and Dickface. Dickface was unfazed, but Claire looked a little uncomfortable…as she did every day. They quickly moved by and sat down on the other side of the cafeteria. Claire gave Dickface a quick kiss before sitting down.

"I don't know why you wanted her at all, Johnny," said Rudy. "She's got one thing on her mind: how much guys are worth in Benjamins."

Bender nodded. "Well, you know what they say about guys with money…the bigger their trust funds…"

"…the smaller they are in the pants!" Tad chimed in. Allison snorted a laugh out her nose. She'd rather not have a dime to her name and be with these guys than have a million dollars and friends like Claire's.

"No doubt…I've got a monster in these jeans!" Bender proudly announced. A group of blonde Christian girls who sat at the next table over looked over at the table and groaned. Bender winked at them, and they quickly turned around.

Allison smirked. She couldn't help but suddenly think of Andy and where he was right now. Was he bringing his newfound tolerance to Kenosha? Or did he just revert back to his old jock ways because she wasn't around to keep an eye on him? Did he find a girl? Or did he just forget her? Allison would have these random thinking fits about Andy….her first love.

"Well, it wasn't like it would have lasted long anyways. Her parents woulda eventually realized she wasn't at the Country Club or in the limo with them!" said Rudy, biting an apple. Bender nodded.

"Mr. Dickface can make her happy…he could probably buy himself a bigger dick with his weekly allowance," Bender said.

"Yeah, but yours is au naturalle!" Tad said. "Surprised Al here hasn't wanted to take a peek!"

"You guys wish! The only reason yours is so massive is because it's been too busy hibernating in there and never gets a chance to exercise!" Allison said. All three guys laughed.

"Touché!" Rudy chuckled. Allison laughed and looked out the window again. She thought she saw a blue jay outside on the pavement the color of Andy's old jacket…

Suddenly, it felt like a shot of lightning split her abdomen. It was so sudden, so intense. It made her feel like her insides were on fire. Her stomach did flips and she suddenly got incredibly hot and began sweating. She began seeing blurry visions, her eyes watered, and her ears buzzed. Allison let out a squeak of distress and doubled over on her seat, turning red and squinting her eyes. "Ah!" she yelped. Bender immediately bent down beside her.

"Al! What's wrong?!" He asked.

"My….ah! It's huuurts…" Allison moaned, suddenly feeling like all her energy was drained out of her body. Bender threw an arm around her. Tad and Rudy shot out of their seats and ran around the table.

"She's sweating bullets," Rudy noted.

Tad nodded. "Get her to the nurse!"

Allison panted heavily as her heart began racing. "I…can't stand!" she whined. Some of the nearby tables began staring with interest.

"Common!" Bender grunted as he heaved Allison up into his arms. Rudy and Tad ran to the door and cleared a path so Allison and Bender could get through without having to push and shove people over. Bender and Allison quickly got out of the cafeteria, and all four people were headed for the nurses' station. Allison was overwhelmed. Bender had her in a very strong grip. He was almost panicky-looking….that wasn't his nature to panic over anything.

"I've been feeling queasy awhile….I think I've got the flu," Allison remarked breathlessly.

"We're almost there," Bender said as calmly as he could. A few more corners…and then…the stairs. Steep and spiraling. Impossible to descend when one was carrying a sick/hyperventilating person in their grip. Great.

"Shit," Tad moaned.

"The elevator!" Rudy pointed to the nearby single elevator (usually for teachers only). The door was closed. Rudy began madly pushing the button, and the elevator appeared with Vernon inside, looking through some files. Rudy dove into the elevator and shoved Vernon out.

"What the hell! Rudy Cavelli!" Vernon yelled in shock and annoyance. "That'll be a Saturday—"

"—rain check, Dick!" Tad called. Bender and Allison got themselves into the elevator. Rudy and Tad turned back for the stairs. The school had been built a long time ago, and the elevator lift was small. Rudy and Tad met Bender and Allison again at the bottom of the stairs. Another roadblock in the form of a heavy-set female security guard named Edna sat in the hallway on the way to the nurse's office.

"Hall pass?" asked Edna, seemingly unmoved by the sick girl in the arms of a freaked-out boy.

"Edna, doll…" Rudy began.

"No pass? I'll have to take you in to Vernon's offi—"

"—Oh for Christ's Sake!" Bender moaned, maneuvering around Edna and taking off down the hallway again. Edna turned around and hollered.

"Come back!" She turned to Rudy and Tad. "You four are in big trouble once I catch them!"

"They had a hall pass," Rudy said.

"Huh?"

"You didn't see it in his arm?" asked Tad.

"What? He didn't….what did it look like?"

"Black and white and red all over!" said Rudy. Edna paused a moment, then shook her head.

"You're going into Vernon's office, now!" Edna started walking in front of Rudy and Tad down the hallway. Tad leaned over to Rudy.

"She is sooo easy!"

* * *

"Damn nurses union or whatever the hell gives her 2 hours for lunch!" Bender groaned to himself. Allison was on a cot over by the door, sitting up straight, doubled over, moaning. The office smelled like a dentist's office. It was painted pure white, and had a few cots littered over the floor, a desk in the corner, and a cabinet which contained various emergency pills. Bender was sifting through the pills, looking for something with maybe a little bit of codeine…maybe if he was lucky, there were some allergy meds, they gave a nice buzz (depending on the brand, anyways). He knew he'd kinda lost his cool in the hallway, and he knew Allison was alright on the cot until the nurse got in. But the sign on the nurses' desk saying that she was on break until 1 PM made him so angry, he needed pills, even if they were baby aspirins. He looked at Allison for a moment, felt something in his chest drop down into his gut, then turned away to keep looking for "buzz pills." Maybe Allison would want some…she might not object to LEGAL drugs… 

"It must be PMS, I skipped last month and am late this one…" Allison thought to herself. She remained quiet, except for omitting the occasional squeal for ill-received comfort.

"I'm gonna call someone in five minutes if she doesn't come back. What if someone had a heart attack right now in gym or something? I'm sure if the guy died and the nurse was on her goddamn lunch break, there's be lawsuits shoved 5 feet up her ass…." Bender muttered to himself. "Two hour lunch break…psh! I spend less time than that in school everyday!"

"What's all this?"

Bender slammed the cabinet door shut and whipped himself around to find the fat, lazy old nurse, Nurse Hale, standing in the doorway. Allison let out a squeak. Nurse Hale looked at her and suddenly got a worried look on her face.

"Who is this?"

"Allison Reynolds," answered Bender. "She's really sick."

"I can see that. You her brother?"

"No," said Bender.

"Go back to class then, she's really got something," Nurse Hale said.

"I can't go back," Bender said. "I'm too….I mean, she's gonna be alright?"

"God knows, she's sweating up a storm. Go back to class…" Nurse Hale insisted.

"No!" Bender insisted, harder. Nurse Hale looked up at him.

"Do you want me to call Principal Vernon?" she asked. Bender groaned. It would be a fight he lost, and he knew it. Bender nodded and slowly left the room, defeated.

He hated this. Normally, he'd skip if he felt like this (which he rarely did anyways). But having Allison in her condition kept Bender bound to the school. He barely knew what classes he had and where this afternoon. He wanted to make sure Allison was okay. After all, she'd done the same for him…defending him when Claire left him.

The day had never fully left his mind.


	10. His Priorities

Sitting in some class that had something to do with x-variables, Bender found himself dozing off with worry for Allison. Pissed that he couldn't stay with her, Bender wished he knew what the hell was wrong with her. The whole classroom was a huge tie-dyed blur. It was so not who he was to worry like this for anyone but himself. Especially a girl. Even with Claire, he really didn't act like such a pathetic dipshit.

His relationship with Claire had been extremely complicated. Since March 24th, 1984, he'd seen her as his girlfriend, and she eventually became so important to him that he'd made her his ONLY girlfriend. He burned all the old pictures in his wallet and one by one, dumped the 7 or so ladies inside. Some of them had taken it pretty hard, but they eventually got over themselves and moved on. But other than the wallet of girls, Bender did nothing out of his way for Claire. He teased her and she called him a pig, then they'd go on dates as Claire dictated. Bender would usually hate her choice of dates, and he'd put up a fight, but eventually let her do her thing. It wasn't exactly a loveless relationship, but they did constantly 'acknowledge their differences'. The fact that Bender WAS pissed about Claire leaving him almost made him feel weak. But there was real love there or so they thought for awhile. It took Dickface to show them just how unstable their relationship was, and that it wasn't love, but sexual tension between them. He was great at hiding his feelings, so he made 'brushing it off' seem flawless.

He wasn't exactly 'brushing off' Allison's stomachache, though. It seemed like there had to be more to it than a mere bellyache. She was sweating and squinting. The cafeteria was nearly given a show as he'd gotten her out of there. Like she was in labor or something. Talk about melodramatics. He probably acted like Brian or Andy would have. Bender felt his face turn red, realizing he'd really played up the drama in there and he probably looked like he was going out for the lead in the fall musical. Bender groaned and shot up, patting his pocket. He needed his 'doobage' more than ever now.

As he went to leave the room, the teacher, an older woman about half his height, glared at him. Bender glared back threateningly, and the teacher went on with the lesson, letting Bender pass. It was almost TOO easy to scare the old-bird teachers!

Going into the men's bathroom on that floor, Bender sat on the heater and began rolling a joint, putting it between his lips and lighting it up. Soon, the blurry sensation of getting high overwhelmed Bender, and he loved it. His headache didn't go away, but at least his intense feelings (which he wasn't even SUPPOSED to feel) were numbed away. The whole room was fading, and he was suspended in time for as long as that joint hung from the corner of his lip. If Dick should walk in just now, Bender would not hesitate to sock him.

But the one thought that didn't leave his head was Allison and whether she would be alright. She'd seemed to recover faster than Bender did as far as their ex-significant others went. She seemed to absorb her new life as a 'criminal' (other than the drugs, of course). Of course, Allison refused to actually do 'criminal' type things, but for some reason everyone else accepted that instead of giving her a hard time. Bender would often come down to his cousin Ernie's auto shop and find Allison already there, talking with one of the oily mechanics, or even Ernie. Sometimes, she would be found on the second floor, where that old apartment used to be, just staring out the ceiling-to-floor length windows, or dancing to herself, as if she were in her own little world. In school, Rudy, Tad, and most of Bender's other friends had made her feel welcome. She was, after all, the first female member of the gang that 'counted' (nearly all of them had girlfriends, but they never 'counted,' according to the guys, and Allison never quite figured out why). She wasn't anyone's girl, and again, other than drugging up, she was one of them. Her remaining sober actually was an advantage to the rest. She'd go to parties with them and act as their designated driver (even though she technically didn't have a license).

Bender really hoped that Allison had some kind of 'woman' problem and wasn't dying or anything. More than likely it was PMS or something, but a little more intense. What Bender really worried about was the floor show he'd put on for the entire lunchroom. Maybe Claire saw…?

Well, one thing was for sure. He sure was acting like Claire, worrying about what others thought of him. Maybe his stash had gone bad…

Bender completely lost track of time, and before he knew it, the bell rang and Bender quickly climbed up on a sink to open up the window and let the air in the room. He threw his joint in the toilet and flushed it before leaving the bathroom. He quickly went to the nurse's station. A different nurse was 'on duty' (did the other irresponsible bitch go home?) This nurse was younger, with red hair and a freckled face. She was sorting through some files when Bender stomped in. Allison was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?" Bender asked.

"Who?" asked the nurse. "No one was here all day," she said. Bender grunted. Before he could say something else, the first nurse (the lazy one, Nurse Hale) shuffled into the station.

"You again," said Nurse Hale. "She's not here."

"Why?"

"She without a doubt had more than a stomach ache. After you left she began feeling queasy and started blowing chunks. Her dad picked her up and took her to the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital downtown, poor little thing," said the nurse.

"What do you mean 'more than a stomachache'?" asked Bender.

"Go back to class, kid!" said lazy Nurse Hale, leaving the room again. Bender snorted, turning red. The redheaded nurse smiled sympathetically and tapped Bender's shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Ruth, she really shouldn't be a nurse here," said the redheaded nurse (her nametag read "Kitty Johnson").

"Johnson? You related to a Brian Johnson who used to go here?" asked Bender. Why the hell was he making small talk now?

"Yeah! He's at NYU now…my cousin! He helped me get the job here," said Kitty. "You know him?"

Bender nodded. Kitty was silent a moment. "You have a fever," she said, winking. Bender looked at her a moment. After processing the information, he felt his face start to recover from the blushing. "You can't stay here with a fever, go home!" Kitty said, nodding. Bender nodded a silent 'thanks' to Kitty and ran out of the nurse's office.

* * *

Outside of the school, Bender realized he didn't have his El Camino with him. He'd rode with Tad that morning in his minivan. Bender wondered what the hell he could do. He couldn't walk to Chicago! 

"Hey man, here's the keys," said Tad from behind Bender. He turned around and took the keys.

"Thanks, man," he said. Tad nodded and shoved Bender off the sidewalk towards the van, parked in the fifth row of the parking lot. Bender got in the van and drove off with incredible haste.

Tad's van smelled like used condoms and stale cigarette smoke. It was musky inside from Tad either having a pot-smoking session or a girl or both inside it the previous night. But Bender didn't care. He just needed to get to the hospital and fast. The hospital was outside of Shermer, but not quite inside the Chicago city limits. Bender hated hospitals in general. They gave him bad memories of times when his father's beating got too bad. He'd been there 3 times by the time he was 11, but his mother Roxanne always told the doctors that "boys will be boys" and made it sound like Bender was either playing on roller skates or being a reckless punk like most 11-year-old boys were. But Bender kept quiet. Who would believe him anyways? The last time he was there for himself was when he was 14…he'd skinned his spleen "in a bicycle accident" and had it removed.

Another time, he'd been with an old girlfriend who was having a pregnancy scare. Luckily for them both, she was just late in her month, and she got her period the following day. Other times he'd been there were for friends who'd been caught in the crossfire of gang fights downtown or who'd had a bad LSD trip and almost 'flew' out of a window. Bender didn't have a good history with the hospital and was almost superstitious that the hospital brought bad luck to him. But that didn't stop him from speeding down the highway heading north (if he got into a wreck, he'd wind up in the hospital anyways). It was Allison who needed him now. Not Tad or Rudy or his parents or anyone. Allison was as fragile as a butterfly when it came to this kind of thing. Last summer, when Andy had a knee operation, she'd tried to visit him in a family-only ward. For the brief time she was there before being kicked out, Bender had been with her. She seemed so frightened to be there. All those horrible-looking machines, noises and smells easily overwhelmed her. Even though she couldn't see 'her Andy,' Bender could sense that a part of her couldn't get out of that hospital fast enough.

The hospital was only a few miles away, but Bender couldn't get there fast enough. He pulled up to the parking garage and parked right outside of it (he couldn't afford the parking rates…even if they were only a few quarters an hour). He ran inside the ER entrance and went up to the nearest reception desk. A young man with a blonde buzz cut was working behind it. He looked up at Bender and smiled as if he was trained like a monkey to do so.

"May I help you, sir?" asked the man.

"Allison Reynolds here?"

The man nodded and stood up. "The name sounds familiar. I'll go check for you," he said. "I might be a minute, go ahead and have a seat," he added, leaving the waiting room. Bender grunted. The second worst thing about hospitals: waiting.

Bender took the nearest seat and plunked down in it, looking quickly around. There was an interesting array of people waiting to be treated. A man actually sat in the room with a knife stuck into his arm. He actually looked pretty calm, considering he freaking had a kitchen knife crammed in his bicep. A few women were in labor, breathing along with their husbands. A little girl had a huge burn running across her cheek…it looked almost like it was white…infected? The worst sight yet had to be the young father holding his son in his arms, the son limp and almost lifeless with a huge gash in the back of his head. The father looked like he was ready to kill himself.

The waiting room had a small TV in the corner (black and white…at least 15 years old) that was vaguely tuned in to The Price is Right. Bender thought the show was funny. Watching little old women jump up and down (most didn't wear bras, Bender noted) as they won hot rods and trips to Aruba was too hysterical. All the young college kids who went on the show would always lose or, or if they won, they would win a set of bed sheets or something.

"Sir?" Bender stood up as the young male receptionist came out. "Miss Reynolds was indeed here with her father about ½ an hour ago, but they've since left and gone back home. I'm sorry sir," said the man. Bender nodded at him.

Allison was home. And Bender knew where that was. School was still in session, and would be for another hour or so, but Bender wasn't about to go back. He had his priorities, and right now, Allison was number 1.

He couldn't say exactly why, but she was number 1 on his priority list.


	11. In Bad Condition

Allison had never felt so vulnerable in her entire life. And she'd had some pretty damn vulnerable moments.

She felt so small and helpless sitting on her bed in her room, which suddenly seemed about 300 times bigger than it usually was. It was almost like she was Alice in Wonderland after eating the "Eat Me" cookies. But Allison was no Alice. Her deadly cramps and killer nausea had temporarily subsided thanks to some pills the emergency room crammed down her throat. But no pill could cure what she really had inside her right now. Okay…so a pill COULD cure it…but it was too late for it now. Allison toyed with her box of birth control pills that were meant for the month of September. She repeatedly opened and closed the box. Every time she'd opened it, she couldn't believe her stupidity and had to shut the lid again. Only 4 pills were missing from the box. Ever since she'd had sex with Andy, so much shit had come and gone…and after that had passed, she'd been so preoccupied with picking up the pieces, she had forgotten to take her pills.

How could she be so stupid? So irresponsible? Allison wanted to crawl into her closet, sit on the floor and push a button. Then she'd open the door and find herself in her bedroom on the fateful Sunday morning before she went over to Andy's how. The thing was…it shouldn't have happened to her. It just wasn't her gig. It happened to rich girls who went out getting drunk and partying like there was no tomorrow. It happened to rowdy seniors who hadn't been to school in 7 months. It didn't happen to basketcases. How could it? How should it?

Allison's parents' screaming voices rung in her ear as they were uttered in the living room. It had been the first time in nearly 10 years they'd fully acknowledged their daughter's existence. Of all times for it to happen, too.

"You don't discipline her enough, Marty! I swear if you had only taken 30 seconds of time to TALK to the girl about sex—"

"YOU should talk, Danny! You don't even know her middle name!"

"I do too! It's Mary!"

"WRONG! It's Karen!"

"Mary!"

"Karen!"

_It's Portia, you assholes, _Allison thought to herself.

"Regardless, Danny, what can we do about it NOW? Who's could it be?"

"If I had to guess…it would have to be that jock boy she's always being seen with. I think my ex-boss knows his father somehow…"

_What a close bond you two have! Almost like family!_

"I see…what about an abortion?"

"NO! Marty, are you insane? I'd rather she have it and give it up for adoption!"

"Danny, if I know my daughter—"

Allison almost laughed at that comment.

"—she would NOT want to give it up to anyone. She barely lets herself be seen in daylight! Why would she let a kid of hers go with some strange family?"

_I wouldn't. _

"She's NOT keeping a baby in this apartment, Marty! We barely have enough room for ourselves! I had to sacrifice my work and study room to put Amanda's—"

"—Allison's!"

"Allison's crib in there when SHE was born! What, are we gonna put the kid in the refrigerator at night?"

"But are we just going to throw her out on the streets?"

"She'd like the streets! I see her dancing around on them all the time!"

"We are NOT kicking her out! She needs us now more than ever!"

_Then why aren't you up here WITH me asking how **I** feel for once? _

"If the congregation hears about this—"

"—screw the congregation, Danny! You're the only one who PRAYS in this family! What about the landlord? He'll throw us ALL out if she has the kid and he cries all night! These are thin walls, Danny! We can practically hear the newlywed couple next door fucking around every other night! I think she should abort it now and be free!"

Allison couldn't stand the yells for another minute. She ran into the bathroom and locked herself in. She stripped completely naked and turned the shower water on hot and stepped in, closing the shower door behind her. Instead of remaining standing like one would do in a normal shower, she sat on the floor of the shower, right under the stream of comforting warm water and curled up into a fetal position. The water cascaded over her aching body, making her feel 100 better physically. But mentally and emotionally, she was about ready to drive herself up a tree.

It was a pretty big shock, being at the hospital. She'd had a few tests done on her throughout the afternoon, and then was given a prescription to dull the pain in her abdomen. Her father had actually taken her there…and stayed with her, which surprised Allison quite a bit. But the biggest shock, of course, came when Allison's gynecologist (the one who gave her the birth control pills) had walked into the room. Allison's gynecologist, Dr. Wilson, didn't work at the hospital. It was then it hit Allison. Something was truly wrong with her. Did Andy give her some kind of STD? Was she sterile? Why was she so sick?

"Allison, your urine test was clear as day," said Dr. Wilson. "I'm here because the lab called with some interesting news."

"What?" asked Allison.

"Did you forget to take your birth control, Allison? You're pregnant. About two months in, I estimate," said Dr. Wilson with very little emotion.

It took an extremely strong will on her part not to faint right there in the ER. Allison saw emotion in Danny's face for the first time ever. He looked afraid.

"What? She's SICK!"

"She's 17, Mr. Reynolds. She's also only 98 pounds. The typical female body can't handle such a biological burden unless she's over 100 pounds, and even then the ideal minimum weight is 110. Her body's starting to show signs, and the physical shock is taking its' toll on her body. This only happens in the first trimester, she'll be over it, but I highly recommend she gain a bit of weight if she wants to get through this without severe physical consequences—"

"—but she can't be knocked up!" Danny seemed to be in denial. Allison's face had gone white, but she remained silent.

"Mr. Reynolds, we are in a hospital. You don't have to use street slang in here," said Dr. Wilson.

"Girl…why did you forget your birth control?" Danny muttered. Allison remained quiet.

"Mr. Reynolds, please don't be angry with her. It's becoming more and more common. It would help everything for you to be more sympathetic towards your daughter. One day without a pill can mess up rhythms, hormones, anything. Whether she forgot one pill or 20 doesn't really matter."

Allison silently went through that day in her head. She was incredibly stupid, in retrospect. She's slept in, gotten up and showered, then left before eating or drinking anything. She hadn't taken her pill that day. Every day since then she'd forgotten because of what had been going on with her, Andy, John, Claire and everything else. Stress must have altered her cycle….and….oh god. It was true.

Dr. Wilson and Danny had talked about appointments, options, and prenatal care while Allison drowned herself in thought. Allison still couldn't grasp the fact that she was carrying Andy's child, and he was somewhere in Kenosha, carrying about his normal daily life without giving her a second glance. Not to mention, being pregnant and 17 wouldn't bode well in the school and graduating department. Fate was kicking her ass…what had she DONE?

Upon arriving home, Danny had merely pointed in the direction of Allison's room, and she went and locked herself inside and grabbed her pill box. He was ashamed of her.

But it was better than not acknowledging her, wasn't it?

* * *

Two hours later, Allison got out of the shower once the water ran cold. She went back into her room and flopped herself on her bed and faced the wall, curling herself into a ball and squinting her eyes shut. The fighting was still going on in the Reynolds' living room when suddenly, a knock on the door silenced them. Marty rolled her eyes and got the door. Bender stood in the hallway, his hands in his pockets, looking indifferent. 

"Allison home?"

Marty didn't say a word.

"Allison. You know…your daughter?"

More silence.

"May I see her or what?" Bender asked assertively. Marty licked the corner of her lip.

"Now's not a good time," said Marty.

"That's how I like it," Bender replied, pushing past Marty. He brushed right past Danny and stood outside's Allison's door. He didn't want to stumble in on her and surprise her more. He'd wait just a moment.

Meanwhile, he decided to eavesdrop on Gomez and Morticia Addams a bit more…

"Marty, what do YOU suggest we do about it? I'm her father and I say she's NOT aborting it and that's FINAL!"

Ah…that was it. Bender nodded solemnly. Poor little thing. That was worse than even HE anticipated.

"You'd rather the goddamn landlord evict us, then, Danny?"

Bender suddenly wanted to kill Marty and Danny Reynolds. Allison was knocked up (he was going to have to personally choke Andy with his bare hands for doing this) and all her mom and dad could think about were themselves. That was disgusting. They were, in a way, worse parents than Bender's. At least his father knew his name. It was so sad how even when their only daughter was in her room feeling like shit, they argued about losing their crappy apartment instead of trying to console their child.

Bender decided that he couldn't just hang around anymore. Jiggling the door handle for a moment, Bender let himself into Allison's room slowly and quietly, in case she was trying to get some sleep.

His first reaction was that he'd accidentally stumbled into a closet. The room had to be half the size of his room at home. He was afraid to step inside the room…he couldn't see the floor underneath all the crap everywhere. He'd never seen Allison as the neat-freak type…but so much clutter in such a little living space was too much even for him. There was barely a 2-foot space between the armoire and the bed, and the bed was no more than 6 feet from the door. Allison's walls were plastered with a few art pieces she'd done outside of class. A single trophy graced the shelf above her bed, clearly engraved "Illinois State Art Show—1st Prize: Abstract 2-D Art." A picture frame was propped up next to it with Allison looking a bit younger…middle school aged, perhaps, holding the trophy, alone in the shot (didn't parents usually want to invade those photos?). On the wall next to the shelf hung a newspaper article with Allison as the focus due to her art prize. The headline read in bold letters: "**Local Preteen Surprisingly Conquers Adult-Dominated Art Show**." Bender was all but sure that Allison's parents didn't even know Allison was an artist at all.

He noted all this within 2.5 seconds. Allison was curled up on her bed, motionless. Bender pouted his lip and gently nudged Allison's shoulder.

"John's here," he said to her. She didn't move. "Al?" Bender nudged her a little harder. She still didn't move.

Bender stood up straight. Allison wasn't going to budge. Bender licked his front teeth and looked at the phone (and phone number) on her nightstand. It was no doubt the dickweed Andy's phone number in Kenosha. Allison had yet to call him up at all. Bender wondered how long it would take Allison to call Andy to tell him about her 'condition' and how he was responsible. Bender truly wanted to hang Andy from the neck with his bare hands high above the town for everyone and their brother to see. He felt he would get what was coming to him soon enough. He knew Allison had to make that call. Not only was it the only right way to go, but it would be fun if she put the phone on speaker and Bender got to listen to what Andy sounded like choking without having to look at his buttface.

Bender sat down on a stool in the one vacant corner of the room and decided to wait as long as it took for Allison to wake up. He knew he had to see her make that phone call.


	12. The Downfall of Little Miss Shermer

_**A/N: **This is just a little filler I need to progress the story a bit I tried to spice it up with a little bit of Allison's history, some of it you might be surprised to learn (LOL)!. Review anyways!_

_**Special Dedication: **I'm dedicating this chapter to the tragic victims at Virginia Tech. My brother went there, and it's a miracle he managed to escape from his math room in the building that the killer victimized before he was hurt. My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and the survivors, because after going down for the day yesterday to talk and comfort them (along with my brother), it's so heartbreaking to see a college campus in such a horrible state. I came home early to finish this chapter just so I could dedicate it to them. God bless.

* * *

_

Nighttime came. Allison's parents went out for dinner and drinks to relieve some of the stress, which disgusted Bender. They hadn't even asked Allison if she was hungry. Bender, as a result, spontaneously decided to make Allison something himself. Wandering out to the kitchen after Marty and Danny left, Bender sifted through the assortment of cold takeout plates and bottles of vodka. He found a plate of cold KFC chicken to be the healthiest thing in the fridge, and he took that out and nuked it. While he waited for it to finish, he wandered into the small living room and observed a bit of the room. There were a few photos of Danny and Marty, but the only one of Allison was a photo of her when she was 5 or 6 and in a small beauty pageant (of all people, Allison was a child prodigy!) wearing a red tutu and smiling a front-toothless smile to the cameras, holding a bundle of roses and wearing a sash that said "Little Miss Shermer 1974." The girl was smiling, but her eyes were sad.

"I'll be damned," Bender muttered. Maybe that had something to do with her parents' ignorance of her. Allison wasn't exactly beauty queen material anymore. Maybe as she grew into her own…her artistic self who hid her eyes behind her bangs, her parents grew more distant because she wasn't their 'Little Miss Shermer' anymore. Bender thought Allison was strange from the beginning, but this certainly did explain a bit of the plot holes in Allison's life.

The microwave's timer suddenly went off, and Bender went to get the chicken out and put it on a plastic plate. As he did so, he hear Allison's door creak open slightly and heard the small 'pit-pat' of Allison's stocking feet slide down the hall towards the bathroom, and then another door shut. Did she think he left? No, she without a doubt heard the microwave timer go off.

Bender quickly dashed into Allison's room and closed the door. Her took a seat on the bed and stared at the door, waiting for Allison to return. While he waited, he read the article on the wall about Allison's greatest achievement…

* * *

**Local Preteen Surprisingly Conquers Adult-Dominated Art Show**

_**Gifted young lady shows the prestegious Regional Midwestern Art Show what she's made of.**_

_Chicago Gallery, June 9, 1978—The annual Midwest art talent show is one of the most prestigious art shows in the northern half of the United States. Usually, these art shows are reserved for artists 18 and older, with a very few exceptional teenagers able to qualify in order to submit their art. This year, however, a new feat was reached in the show's history…a top prize in one of the most highly regarded categories (2-dimensional abstract art) was awarded this weekend to a girl of middle school age, 11 year old Allison Portia Reynolds. Her artwork features several biomorphic shapes in all colors fitting together to form a vague image of herself. The media used was oil crayon on canvas. _

_"It's really cool. I feel so proud," Reynolds remarked to our reporter, standing proudly by her award-winning piece, which will be donated to a traveling exhibit which, among its stops, with be at the MMA in New York City for 3 months starting this December, making her one of the youngest artists to ever be featured in the museum. "It's almost scary thinking about that," said Reynolds. "A lot of people will be judging me." Reynolds punctuated the statement with a high-pitched squeak. _

_Reynolds' art teacher, Mr. Chrisfield, was astounded at his pupil's accomplishment. "It wasn't even an assignment for class. The concept, the composition, the execution, was all her doing. I just did the paperwork! Every ounce of credit goes to her."_

_Her parents, surprisingly enough, were absent from the show and awards ceremony and therefore could not be commented.

* * *

_

Damn, Bender thought. If it were him, his mother would probably be there (she'd probably be selling herself, but she'd BE there, nonetheless). What a miserable set of parents. The MMA? Bender was about as artistically inclined as a monkey with a paintbrush and HE knew about the MMA! That was just plain ignorance. Marty and Danny were able to take photos of Allison at a kiddie beauty pageant that didn't amount to shit, but when it came to what Allison truly loved, they somehow weren't there. They weren't interested. They probably wanted a kid more like Brian or Andy. A perfect child in everything they did. It sucked that now, more than ever, she needed her parents. They may have finally acknowledged her existence, but they were more distant from her than ever.

Bender heard a toilet flush down the hall. Allison was coming back. Bender sighed. At least she could walk on her own now. No doubt the hospital gave her some form of pill to settle her stomach (and beyond). As soon as the door opened, Bender stood up. Allison was a complete wreck, a sad sight even for Bender's eyes. She wore an oversized black t-shirt. That was it. Her normally messy hair looked like someone had poured glue on it and frizzed it up. Bags hung under her red eyes. She stooped forward in her posture, almost like she was paranoid, looking behind her, expecting something coming for her. Bender being there seemed to surprise her, even though he'd been in her room a few hours as she remained in a catatonic-like sleep on her bed. Her jaw hung open, and her eyes were squinted.

"Why are you here?" she asked in a monotonous voice.

"You alright?" Bender asked. "Your dumbass parents went out to drink themselves into rehab, so I got dinner in case you wanted it."

"Screw that, I could never eat again," Allison said in her zombie-like voice, shuffling towards the bed. "You didn't hear already? I'm pregnant."

Bender acted (to the best of his ability) completely surprised. "What? I'll kill him for this if it's the last thing I—"

"—shut it off, John. I know you know, I'm not in the mood for sarcasm." Allison reached her bed and plopped down on it. She inched her way to the head of the bed and grabbed a pillow, hugging it like a teddy bear.

"Did you call Sporto?" asked Bender. "He needs to know."

"No, he doesn't," said Allison. "He's gone. Fuck him."

Bender grunted. She was right. Andy probably wouldn't give too much of a damn anyways.

"I'm afraid to call him," said Allison. "Things were going so well, I thought I'd finally gotten over him and moved on. For once in my life, things were perfect. You and your friends made me feel like I belonged! For the first time since spring, I was independent! I was! Now that Andy's gone, I suddenly need him back," Allison whined. She reached for a picture from under the pillow she'd picked up and handed it to Bender, along with a framed photo on the nightstand by her bed. Bender looked at both photos. The unframed one was Allison in Andy's arms, seated on the hood of Andy's Bronco. Allison' face was pleasant enough, but unlike the framed photo, she wasn't really 'glowing.' In the 'glowing' photo, she was with Bender, Tad, Ernie, Jerry and Rudy in front of Fender Bender's Auto Shop on Halloween. Allison, dressed as in a gypsy skirt, a tank top and tie, a rainbow Cher-style wig, sunglasses on her head, a crown right behind the sunglasses, and a Ronald Reagan mask, was smiling widely among the others. That night had sure been fun. They'd gone around to all the employees' houses and telling them that there was a party at the auto shop, and they'd made the shop into a haunted house and scared the crap out of everyone…THEN partied!

"You don't need him back, but you do need to call him and at least know that he forgot something when he left…"

"…oh stop it!" Allison. "I just….can't believe it! I'm pregnant with Andrew Clark's baby."

Bender looked around the room before he spoke again. "You can always abort it," he suggested.

"I couldn't bring myself to do that," said Allison. "Besides, Danny—"

"—Danny doesn't know your middle name. Why would you allow him to influence a decision that will ultimately only affect you? He abandoned you, Little Miss Shermer!"

Allison shot up in bed so quickly that her lower back began throbbing with a dull ache. "Who told you?"

"I saw the photo. What's the deal with you being a midget future prom queen?"

Allison groaned. "Marty and Danny tried to make me into a Claire-like clone so that I could make lots of money for them with all that pageant crap because they weren't doing so well financially. When I won that title, it was the proudest they ever were of me. I never liked it. I never thought I was good enough. All the girls around me backstage were borderline evil, and I knew that I'd rather kill myself than be like that. So I secretly began trying to find other ways of expressing myself. Before my grandma died, she took me to a museum in Milwaukee. I stayed there for hours. I loved all of these pieces of art and decided that was what I wanted to do. Create. But Danny and Marty said that no Reynolds family member has ever had the ability to draw a stick figure. But that night, I sat down in my room, drew my cat Fritz, who was just a kitten, and asked my art teacher to criticize it. He was blown away and said I had a natural talent," said Allison.

"Evidently you do," Bender muttered, looking at the Art Show article above Allison's head.

"But Marty and Danny were pissed off when I told them I wouldn't be competing in a state pageant I'd qualified for. That's when they began pulling away, and now, well, they ignored me!"

"Sucks," Bender nodded.

"They tried again, to make another baby. Maybe a daughter who liked all that beauty pageant shit. It made me fell like shit, knowing they were trying to make up for the mistake that was me. Marty actually conceived. But it was born prematurely and died a few days later. Marty went through menopause a short time later," Allison sighed. "And if you tell ANYONE—"

"—I won't!" Bender said, holding up a hand. Ingrid walked into the room, meowing. She sniffed the edge of Allison's bed, meowed again, and leapt up onto it. Fritz popped in a second later, sniffed Bender's shoe and leapt up into his lap. Bender didn't move…but he did lay his hand on the cat's back.

"Is this one Fritz?"

"Yep. And this bucket of fuzzy lard is Ingrid," said Allison. Bender laughed.

"Nice names," he said. He could only imagine what Allison was going to name her kid.

"I'm not giving it up for adoption either," announced Allison out of the blue. "I'm gonna keep it."

"Why should you? I don't see why you shouldn't, it's just gonna be a burden," Bender said, stroking Fritz, who was quickly taking a liking to him.

"Why would I abandon my child just like Marty and Danny abandoned me?" asked Allison. Bender understood and nodded silently. She did have a good point.

"But I will make sure that you will call Sporto. You have to. Even if you don't want him back in Shermer, god knows I sure as hell don't want him back, he has a right to at least know about being a father."

"You're right. Maybe his father will pick it up, have a stroke, and die from it!" Allison squeaked with subtle excitement. Bender laughed. Allison's small smile suddenly melted again. "Can I wait, though? I'm still a little shocked myself," she asked of Bender.

Bender nodded. "I've never been illegitimately pregnant before, but I doubt it's a hoot," he remarked. Allison sighed.

"I think I'll be alright soon enough," said Allison. "But are you still gonna stick around, John? I mean, I don't think I'll be much fun around you guys—"

"—screw everyone else. I promise I won't ditch you like that asshole did."

Allison suddenly felt 1000 times better.


	13. It's Mine

Allison decided it would be best to skip school the next day, and Bender did too, so he could make sure she was feeling alright. Allison did feel a little better, but she spent half the morning blowing chunks she didn't even know she'd eaten previously. Allison's selfish parents got as drunk as they could and ended up passing out on the sofa around 3 AM. In the morning, despite being brutally hung over, they opted to go to work, as always. There weren't very many big cases going on after the one in Chicago they'd needed to go to. Allison, in between ralphing sessions, could hear their conversation as they walked out the door (Bender had gone home for a little rest on the advice of Allison, and he promised to be back at 10 AM). She did not like what she heard very much…

"No one will hear about this, Marty! Got it?"

"Yeah."

"My daughter is NOT a floozy and I won't have Mr. Lembo gossiping around the water cooler about the daughter of Daniel Reynolds being a whore!"

_Well, at least they know I'm a female. And not a skank._

"Danny, she's NOT a whore. She's just retarded—"

Allison nearly spit out the water she was forcing down her throat. Who said anything about being a retard? If ANYONE in the apartment was mentally retarded, it was the parents of the child, not the child.

"—yeah, you're right, Marty. She can't be held accountable on a count of being taken advantage of."

_Hardly,_ thought Allison. _As I recall, it almost seems like it was ME taking advantage of HIM! And NEITHER of us are retarded! _

"Let's just go, Danny. The car's in the shop in Chicago so we can't miss the bus."

"Like I could drive someone to the end of the driveway now anyways."

Then they left. And Allison felt another wave of nausea hit with full force.

* * *

Allison and Bender spent the day lying around the apartment. Tad and Rudy stopped by around 4 that afternoon with some movies Allison would enjoy and some tea bags to settle her nerves (Bender had told them about her condition, and Allison didn't mind as long as nothing got beyond the four of them). They talked for a few minutes before Tad and Rudy went to their evening jobs (they were part-time disc jockeys at Club Jupiter for some extra cash), trying not to step into the territory of Allison's pregnancy. It was incredibly hard. 

After Tad and Rudy left, Bender and Allison called Brian up. Brian still had a right to know about Allison too, and Allison wanted to keep him in the loop. She put it on speaker phone so it could be a 3-way conversation. When Allison told Brian, she could hear his stifled sobs over the phone, and Allison cried for a few minutes with him until Bender told Brian to "suck it up, it's not his." This made Brian laugh, and the group spent a few hours laughing about things. It was like a group therapy session, and it made everyone…all three of them…feel mounds better.

Right before Bender left that evening; Allison told him that because tomorrow was Wednesday, she was going back to school. She didn't want to miss too much on a count of her crappy condition. Bender agreed to pick her up in his car (if he could hijack it from Roxanne before she got up for her morning shift at the bowling alley). The ride to school was without a doubt one of the quietest, tensely-filled car rides Allison had endured in a while, not counting the one with Danny on the ride home from the hospital).

"Meet you for lunch like always?" asked Allison. She and Bender didn't have any classes together.

"Yep," replied Bender. "Tad and Rudy have a lunch-detention session banging erasers in Mr. Keyes' room, so it will be the two of us."

"Mm-hmm."

Bender made a right turn onto the road where the school driveway branched from.

"No one knows, nor should they. You still in the 2nd month, right? So you don't look knocked up! That's good. You shouldn't tell anyone you don't want to, so no one will know. Don't get freaked out over it, Al."

Allison nodded. True, she could easily pass off her 'sickness' as a 24-hour flu or something. It was doubtful that many people would be interested, thought. She was still an outsider. The richies and jocks wouldn't waste their time whispering about an outcast.

Well, there was one girl Allison had to worry about. Liz Lembo, the anorexic blonde bitch who always wanted to be the Queen of Shermer High. Liz's father, Charles, worked with Danny. Normally, when someone like her wanted to torture Allison, Allison would easily brush them aside. But Liz's connection to Allison made it harder for her to ignore. They had an all-around bad history, starting with the Little Miss Shermer 1974 pageant. Liz had known all along that Allison never wanted to be a part of the stupid contest, while Liz would've stabbed her own mother to death to win the crown. The two of them had made the cut to the final 10. When the judges cut it down to five, Allison made the cut and Liz did not. After that, Liz made it her personal goal to do Allison in. When Allison went on to win, it only intensified Liz's hatred. Liz was an incredibly immature girl for being a high school senior. Allison wanted that damn pageant to be permanently erased from her mind. Liz kept that contest the reason for living in the back of her head. This proved for some rather interesting Christmas parties during the girls' youths. One year even involved a decapitated ice sculpture, two concussions and approximately 700 dollars worth of damage. Every time a fight broke out, Allison won, and every time Liz lost, she became more determined. Of course, as the girls grew into adolescence, the fighting became less physical and more catty. Allison would have preferred for it all to remain physical, because Liz knew that in the realm of Allison, emotional fighting was worth 50 times the hell physical fighting was worth.

But Liz had seemed to be in a bit of a recession for the past few months. She didn't even use the Allison/Andy separation situation to her advantage. Allison felt she'd be alright. Danny didn't want anything getting out on the street about her. How could Liz find out?

The morning hours surprisingly didn't go too badly. Allison's morning schedule had all her boring classes, like biology and math. Art, cinematography, and European History (a subject that Allison, for some reason, thought to be fascinating) weren't until after lunch. But in biology they learned about reptile reproduction (VERY interesting) and the substitute teacher in math didn't know the first thing about algebra, so they watched a movie. Allison zoned off in her other 2 classes, so she couldn't remember them.

However, smooth seas began getting rough as she walked towards the cafeteria to eat lunch. She noted people looking at her, then quickly whipping their heads around as she walked by…almost as if they were whispering about her. Allison didn't care. Usually when that happen, it was another rumor about her worshipping Satan or her casting a spell on Mr. Hashimoto to make his toupee fall off in front of the entire student body at prom…again.

But as soon as she walked into the cafeteria, her hopes for a peaceful day were dashed. As she walked past the table of Liz and her two scheming cohorts, Maria and Colleen, Liz popped up from her seat and grabbed Allison by her elbow to stop her. Allison growled and pulled away.

"Don't touch me, EVER," Allison hissed under her breath. "I'm NOT in the mood."

"You never are," Liz said. "But I'm not gonna be mean today, I just wanted to extend to you my sympathies on behalf of Colleen, Maria, and myself!" Allison paused a moment.

"I don't need your sympathy," Allison said, silently screaming. She wasn't going to play dumb. Liz knew. Something must have gotten out at Danny's law office after all.

"I just wanted to let you know you're actually pretty lucky," said Liz.

"Oh?" said Allison in a monotonous voice.

"Andy's hot. Any girl in school would kill to be the mother of his love child," Liz said with an eerie tone of voice. Allison was growing closer and closer to decking her. But physically she just wasn't up to it.

"Leave me alone," Allison snubbed, looking around the cafeteria.

"What?" Liz said, acting defensive. "It's true! Three quarters of the cheerleading team is jealous of you! They said so themselves!"

Allison turned to the cheerleader table. Every single one sitting there was either whispering in someone's ear, or giving Allison a look of shame. Allison gritted her teeth.

"Go to hell, Liz," Allison said.

"What, did I say something?" asked Liz with a malicious grin.

"Shove it up your—"

"—Al!" Allison and Liz turned around to see Bender towering over them both. Liz's jaw dropped.

"John, they know," Allison said. Liz continued to stare at Bender.

"Yeah, I heard. Let's go out to the courtyard," Bender said, grabbing Allison's wrist and dragging her away. Liz just stared at the tall…rugged…handsome man leaving the cafeteria with Allison.

* * *

After moving aside the windowpane that led out to the courtyard, Allison started shaking, trying to hold back tears. 

"I swear, if it was Tad, I'll rip his intestines out and hang him high with it!" Bender cursed under his breath.

"It wasn't Tad. It was Liz Lembo," Allison said.

"Who?"

"The skank whose dad works with Danny," Allison answered. "She's hated me for years."

"Wanna blow this place?" asked Bender. Allison shook her head.

"I never cared about what they thought before. Why should I start caring now?" was Allison's answer. Bender nodded. "They don't matter to me now, nor will they ever matter to me. But—" Allison paused. She looked up at the sky, which was lightly overcast, but none of the clouds were dark enough to produce rain. Allison felt a shiver go down her back. She really should have worn more than her black sweater. She'd had it since she was 10, and it was so worn in that it didn't serve it's original purpose (keeping Allison warm) anymore. There was actually a small hole on the left elbow.

"—what?" Bender asked.

"I wonder what'll happen to me?" Allison whispered. Bender couldn't hear her.

"Wonder why Danny didn't keep his yap shut like he seemed so desperate to do?" Bender asked after a second.

"Who the hell knows?" Allison sighed. "Like I said, no one in this world matters to me. I only need to care about myself." Allison paused again.

"You were right," said Bender.

"What's that?"

"You're heart's dying, Allison," Bender said with a smile to show he was teasing. Allison pouted her lips and squeaked in disgust, turning her head away from Bender and crossing her arms. Her right eye produced a single tear, which quickly rolled down her cheek and hit her knee. Bender was right.

Out of nowhere, the windowpane moved. Bender and Allison looked up to see Dick Vernon staring down Allison. He pointed at her, and she squealed again. Allison could have sworn that she'd seen Liz smirking behind him, but she was gone in the blink of an eye.

"You. Reynolds girl, my office. Pronto," Dick instructed. Both people sitting in the courtyard got up and climbed inside, following Dick to his office. Dick glared malignantly at Bender, but Bender didn't back down. What had Allison done? Why did Dick choose TODAY to rag on her about it? After all, she hadn't even been there yesterday, and the day before she'd spent nearly all of in Nurse Hale's office.

The three of them were seated in Dick's office quickly. Margie, Dick's annoying secretary, shut the door behind them. Bender crossed his arms and sunk low in his seat in defiance. Allison imitated him. This made Bender smile momentarily.

"Well, well, looks like your bodyguard is in here too, eh, Miss Reynolds?" Dick asked.

Allison remained silent.

"You know why you're here, right, Miss Reynolds?"

Allison remained silent.

"Miss Reynolds, speak when you are spoken to!"

Allison remained silent. Bender was proud of her for it.

"She. Doesn't. Talk. Sir.," Bender answered, repeating what he'd said last spring, only punctuating every word with a long hard pause.

"Shut your hole, Bender!' Dick pointed at Bender again.

"Don't talk to John like that," Allison snapped. Dick grinned.

"She does talk! Miss Reynolds, in all my years at Shermer High, we've had a very strict honor code. Our juvenile delinquency level has always been at a minimum, for the most part, anyways…." Dick glared at Bender, who uttered a wide, over-exaggerated 2-second grin. "But this is a first at Shermer High. Teenage pregnancy," Dick then began ranting, most of which neither students could hear. Allison as the first teenage pregnancy at Shermer High? What a laugh! When she was still on good terms with Claire, Claire had told Allison endless stories of her friends and their cousins getting knocked up or having scares. Allison sure as hell wasn't the first. But she was the first poor girl. That automatically made her the whore of Shermer High School.

"This is really something she should talk to Hashimoto about, sir," Bender said with mock sincerity.

"Shut your mouth!"

Bender grunted.

"I know you've been hanging around Andrew Clark. It was the best thing he ever did, moving away. He's above you. You doing this to yourself was going to bring him down in life, and that's not good…"

Bender was getting red in the face. Yeah, Allison got pregnant all on her own. She did it to ruin Sporto's life. Of course. It was all her fault and she deserves to be expelled for choosing to get pregnant! And what was this about him being above her? Bullshit, that's what.

"…I hope you know that you purposely bringing this shame upon our school will not go unpunished…"

Was he kidding?

"You nearly destroyed one of our star athlete's futures. I tell you, Andrew was smart to bail out when he did—"

"—oh SHUT UP, Dick!" Bender shot out of his seat. "Yeah, it takes only one to make a baby, and you know it! You wanna know something? It isn't Sporto's kid! It's….it's mine, Dick. Her kid is mine."

With that, Bender got Allison to her feet and defiantly left school grounds that very instant.


	14. Two Phonies and a Phone

"Ugh, I LOATHE the bus!" Liz moaned as she and Colleen Arthur, her right-hand confidante, walked down the aisle of her geek-ridden bus at the end of the school day.

"Tell me about it. There's this nerd with a trombone who offered to let me 'toot his horn' yesterday!" Colleen groaned. "I'm getting a Ferrari when I turn 18!"

"Don't hold your breath!" Liz warned, indicating their usual seat about halfway back and sitting down in the window. Colleen plopped down next to her. Liz just stared out the window as Colleen began chit-chatting about her day. Liz didn't really pay attention. She planted her forehead against the glass window and stared out as the bus began pulling away from the school. Colleen didn't bother taking notice right away. After a minute, small rain drops began splattering against the window. Liz didn't pull her head away.

Only one image had been passing through Liz's mind all afternoon. The tall long-haired, ruggedly-dressed man who'd pulled Allison away from her during lunch. The one Allison had called "John." Liz skipped her Global Studies class to go to the library and sift though the old yearbooks to find out John's last name. He was so tall, so muscularly built, he definitely could not have been a freshman! Liz found a small, scowling photo of the man (his hair was a bit shorter) in the yearbook from the previous year. John Bender. His name was John Bender.

"Liz! Did you hear me?" Colleen asked. Liz sighed and muttered something to herself. Colleen was perplexed. "Liz?"

"Allison's always beaten me at life, hasn't she?" Liz asked.

"The freak with the baggy sweater?" Colleen sneered. "You told her off at lunch! You won! She got pregnant and you got Vernon on her tail! You can get you dignity back from the Christmas party last year!"

Liz shook her head. "No, I lost."

"Liz? Do you need to see Mr. Hashimoto tomorrow?" Colleen asked. "You look pale…"

"…that bitch has something that I don't….as usual."

"What? A bun in the oven? Liz, you always said you wanted to be an anchorwoman before even thinking about kids!" Colleen was never a very smart girl. She wasted studying time perfecting her makeup-application skills. It paid off to an extent; Colleen had been voted Junior Prom Queen. But she was voted Junior Prom Queen TWICE, and that's where her weakness lied. It was similar with Liz. But Liz was acting odd today.

"I know, Colleen, but it's not a baby I want. Allison has it right now, but this is bigger than any beauty pageant crown. I will make sure that he's mine."

"Then what is it?" Colleen asked. "Wait…HE?"

"John Bender," Liz sighed.

"He's a burnout! And he's a criminal! Lizzie, you're insane!"

"You know what, Colleen? I never get anything I want. I fight the good fight and the forces at work never come through in my favor. I've always beena wannabe, a loser. But I'm tired of being a loser! For once, I think Elizabeth Lembo should get the prize!"

"Oh come off it! You're above him, Lizzie!" Colleen said.

"No. No, I'm not." Liz lamented. "You'd be surprised, Colleen. Even Liz Lembo has her faults that she can't ignore." Liz looked out the bus window as it came to an intersection and stopped for the red light. The quick rain shower that had just dumped water all over the place passed over and a peek of sun was beginning to emerge. "But mark my words, Colleen. By the end of the school year, John Bender will be mine. I swear it."

* * *

Bender and Allison hadn't done much since they left Dick's office. They got into Bender's ramshackle car and drove around for hours and hours in circles around the outskirts of Shermer. Neither of them talked to each other. The atmosphere in the car was red, angry, and tense. They weren't pissed at each other, but they were pissed, so talking at each other made them mad at each other. They stopped once to let Allison puke a little bit in the library restroom. 

"Did you take your pills before you left?" asked Bender concerning.

"It doesn't matter right now," Allison said after ralphing. "Let's just keep going."

When Bender had to stop again for Allison outside a 7-11, he'd had enough.

"I didn't drive 30 miles so you could spew over half of Illinois! We're going back to your place!"

Allison stormed into her apartment with Bender following right behind her. Allison was fuming mad. Bender was fairly pissed off too, but not to the extent Allison was. Bender had to skip a few steps to keep up with Allison as she scampered up the stairs to her top-floor apartment. Bender wished sometimes the landlord would install an elevator in the joint.

"Al, whatsa matter? You still on about Dick being an asshole? Because what he told you was a sonnet compared to what he greets me with every Saturday!" He wasn't lying, but he hoped Allison would feel a little bit better.

"I don't care!" Allison said coldly. Allison was incredible heated with anger. Was it possible for a pregnant girl to have mood swings so soon into her term?

She slammed her bag down on the counter in the kitchen and ran into her bedroom. Bender didn't follow her, because within a few seconds, she re-emerged, a small appear in her hand…the one Andy had left behind on his door before leaving for Kenosha.

"You're calling him?" asked Bender. Allison nodded.

"What you did for me was honorable, thanks. But I'm not going to wait until the contractions are 4 minutes apart to let him know!"

"Who knows? Maybe we can squeeze some palimony out of him!" Bender joked, grabbing an apple off a basket on the counter and taking an enormous single bite that left only half the apple. Allison grunted.

"I couldn't give a damn about palimony. I just want to get this weight off my chest!"

"What does this have to do with Dick being, well, a dick to you?"

"Because I feel so helpless! I have to do something! Maybe he'll come back to me!" Allison snapped. Bender thought a moment.

"So, that's it," he nodded. "You still love Captain Jock Strap."

"Maybe not LOVE, John. But one half of this kid is his—"

"—albeit the lower half," Bender said, chuckling to himself. Allison pouted. It wasn't funny. She picked up the kitchen phone and dialed the number, holding her breath. Bender looked on intently as she did. He couldn't believe that Allison still had hidden feelings for that dope!

Allison put the phone to her ear. Then, what seemed like an eternity passed. Allison began pacing. Bender stopped chewing the apple in his mouth so he could potentially hear the conversation. It was as if time was almost hanging in suspension for them. Allison twiddled with the phone cord. She was pretty nerve-wracked.

"Damnit," Allison cursed after a moment. "Answering machine."

"Leave a message!" Bender said matter-of-factly. Allison nodded and paused a moment. Bender could hear the beep from the phone, it was dead silent. Allison remained silent. Why wasn't she talking? Was she chickening out?

Allison looked at Bender again and gulped. "Andy….Allison."

Bender motioned for her to say more. Allison nodded. "Andy, you're a father."

With those words, Allison hung up the phone and went pale in the face. "Oh god…"

"What? You did it!" Bender said.

Allison shook her head. "I have to ralph again…"

* * *

Kenosha was being good to Andy. VERY good. 

After being in Kenosha for two short months, Andy was on the John F. Kennedy High School varsity wrestling team, won a regional match, and became the envy of every boy in Kenosha, and the desire of every GIRL in Kenosha! Andy had been quite the popular fellow with the ladies. After a fortnight, he'd been asked out by the captain of the JV cheerleading squad, a girl named Meghan Doherty. She was pretty enough, with her jazzy smile and soft blonde curls, but she really didn't have much in the way of brains, so she didn't last very long with Andy. After that came Tammy Hanson, who was also very pretty (she was part Turk, so she had a nice exotic skin complexion). But when Andy accidentally made a pass at Tammy's twin sister Gillian, Tammy got pissed and broke it off. Tammy (or Gillian) wasn't too smart either. The Kenosha girls were willing to do anything for a date, but nobody yet had been good for a talk. JFK High didn't even have a case of academic trophies like Shermer did. But the sports and cheerleading trophy cases were twice as big. Andy recalled that Shermer once lost a football championship to this school. But more importantly, Andy almost felt himself getting dumber. Andy didn't realize why he was craving a nice intelligent conversation with a woman. But after some time went by, he forgot about the craving, and he began taking up date offers from every girl who asked him. He didn't even note the date on the day of his movie date with Darla Mann: November 1st. The day his bet with his father expired. His last chance to come home to his girlfriend, who technically he'd never broken it off with.

But George Clark sure noted the date. That night before he went to bed as he crossed the date off on the calendar, he chuckled to himself. His son was out with a girl who wasn't the floozy he'd slept with. Andy was smartening up. George knew his son would. Andy was happy, George was happy. Who cared if that dark-haired girl back in Shermer wasn't happy? She didn't matter to anyone in the Clark family anymore.

Today, George, Kathleen, and the twins were out looking at new televisions, leaving Andy alone in the house with a black-haired girl, Patty Sanders. They'd gotten to 2nd base within 10 minutes of walking in the door.

"Andy! Andy! My ear!" Patty wailed quietly as Andy advanced on her.

"Patty…what color is your bra today?" Andy moaned back.

Two months ago, Andy was a gentleman. He truly had made a change for the worse.

Patty suddenly pulled away from Andy, leaving him startled. "Andy, I want you to commit to me," she said.

"What?"

"I'm not some whore made for your pleasure. I know how your father feels about letting girls into the house. Can you promise that as soon as we do this, you'll stay with me?" Patty playfully pouted her lip. Andy laughed.

"I'm a free man, I can do whatever I want!" Andy said triumphantly., grabbing for his shot glass (filled with some vodka he had his 'perfect' brother Adam bootleg into his room). After taking a long sip, Andy advanced on Patty again, who giggled and sifted around on the couch a little bit.

"Let's play police man!" said Patty. "You'll be the strong handsome cop, and I'll be the bad, bad criminal who needs to be punished!"

"You're in trouble, young lady! BIG trouble!" Andy laughed.

"I've been REALLY bad!!" Patty shouted as Andy crawled on top of her. He suddenly heard the phone ring.

"Ugh, I'd better get that, Dad told me to pick it up if his broker was calling…"

"No! Why? You have an answering machine, right?" Patty asked. Andy looked at her as the answering machine beeped…whoever was calling, they weren't much of a talker. Andy smirked and took another sip of vodka.

Suddenly, a small, meek, yet incredibly familiar voice came over the answering machine. "Andy? Allison…Andy, you're a father."

Andy spit out his vodka…all over Patty, who shrieked and shot up. Andy had a look of horror on his face.

Father? What did Allison mean? Suddenly, that Sunday night 2 months ago hit him. How he and Allison had screwed around without a condom, depending on Allison's birth control pills. Anyone could miss a day or two…

Andy felt the blood drain from his face. He turned around to look at Patty.

But Patty had already grabbed her coat and slammed the door shut.


	15. Testing Faith

The following Saturday, Allison's parents traveled to Indianapolis for the weekend for a case, so Bender took Allison out for the day. He and his band, _Jesus and the Pirates_, had a small show at Fender Bender's Auto Shop, and Allison and Bender decided to hang out before heading over there. It was another grey day, and the wind was blowing, making the day incredibly cold. Allison and Bender sat on two old swings of an abandoned playground that sat in a small park on the south side of Shermer, about a block away from Bender's place. The playground was old and rusted down. No kids played there, and they hadn't for as long as Bender remembered. It had to be in use at one point, but not for a damn long time. Now it was a place where drug pushers who were wanted in downtown Chicago to do their "business." There were a few scattered hypodermic needles (the needle parts facing up in plain air...Allison and Bender knew to wear sturdy shoes and long pants while walking around through it) and empty coke baggies among the green and gray woodchips. As Allison and Bender swung back and forth on the swing set, the old contraption squeaked worse than fingernails on a chalkboard, but neither of them cared.

It had been a week of hell at school for both Allison and Bender. The rumor had spread quickly that Bender was the father of Allison's love child, not Andy, and that was why they parted on bad terms. Those who'd felt sympathy for Allison before were now looking at her with shame, and those who were looking at her with shame were laughing at her misfortune. The only one who didn't believe the rumor was Liz. In the pit of her heart, Liz knew that Bender was just covering for Allison, which only made Liz love and admire Bender more. Allison hadn't skipped a day, but more often than not, she would retreat to her art room to work on a new project, Madame Valjean didn't mind. Bender joined her there on Wednesday and Thursday. The other three days he kept Rudy and Tad company in lunch.

Rudy and Tad also tried their best to keep Allison comfortable. When Bender had after-school detention, Tad drove Allison home and stayed with her until Rudy could spring Bender. Allison sometimes felt like a retard the way the three of them felt the need to always have someone near her, but more often she was grateful that she wasn't alone. Geez, God knows Allison would have gone insane if she had absolutely no one around. Even Brian regretted not being with her. He called almost daily and promised that he'd be by her side every minute he was on his month-long Christmas break. That was nearly two months away, Allison would be in her second trimester by then!

For now, just Allison and Bender sat on the old, bio-hazardous playground, swinging.

"He didn't call, did he?" asked Bender. Allison shook her head. No, Andy had not called Allison back since she left the message. She figured if George had gotten to it first, Andy still wouldn't know about it because George would undoubtly throw the tape away. If Andy did get to it first, he either might still be in shock, or he just refused to take responsibility as a whole. Allison and Andy hadn't exactly been inseparable the week before he'd been spirited away to Kenosha, so Allison knew not to expect Andy to come running home to her. But the least he could have done is called back to make sure Allison hadn't thrown herself off a cliff or aborted the baby.

All Allison said was, "nope."

Bender growled. "Figures. Watch, it'll be triplets or worse. Sporto always had to do things better than anyone else."

"It doesn't surprise you that he's not taking any responsibility?"

"Not at all. Hell, even I have the decency to take the rap for knocking someone up—"

"—but you didn't!" Allison reminded Bender carefully. She was afraid that Bender would grow to think he really was the father.

"I know. I just think it's weird that everyone thought I'd be the first to get a chick pregnant! Damn him, Sporto beat me to the punch!" Bender said, jokingly. Allison laughed to herself. After the initial shock wore off, she began to lighten up. But she still had a long way to go before she fully accepted her pregnancy.

"I wonder what I'll do for money once it's born?" Allison asked. "I should be very close to graduating by then, it's going to come in June. What kind of job can a girl get with a high school diploma?"

"Any job behind a counter selling fried food," said Bender. "That's all that's available anymore, damn yuppie scum," Bender hissed. "I suppose Ernie could get you a job in the garage as a sign designer or a car painter."

"I can't work a job like that with a baby on my knee!" Allison moaned. "This sucks royally!"

"We can work something out," Bender said. "Maybe…" he suddenly got an idea. "I can get my GED, and then get a full-time job in the garage to help—"

"—no you won't," Allison said. Bender looked at her with an odd glance. Allison pouted her lip.

"Why not, Al? It's not like school is the reason I breathe or anything. Do you REALLY see me graduating?" Allison quickly shook her head. She knew one of the only reasons Bender hadn't just dropped out was because of herself, Rudy and Tad. Rudy intended on graduating and going to a community college or culinary school. Tad was staying in school because it did guarantee a slightly better job than without a degree. Many of the school staff didn't realize that being a "criminal" didn't necessarily mean being a careless, carefree moron who didn't give a rat's ass about their future. Getting a GED or a degree was like rubbing Dick's face in dog shit.

Allison remained silent.

"Common, Al! A GED is better than no degree. Ernie could give me a better job and I could help you out."

"I don't need help," Allison said. Bender rolled his eyes.

"Puh-lease, let's NOT go there!" Bender said. "Working at McDonald's isn't going to cut it for when Junior comes!"

"Yeah, you'd know," Allison remarked sarcastically.

Bender smiled at her. "Okay, fine. **DO** everything on your own. Maybe every time you get a minimum wage paycheck your heart will die a LITTLE bit more…heck by the time the kid is 5, maybe you and Dick'll be going out! Then you'd get MARRIED and continue to work for quarters an hour—"

"—OKAY!" Allison hollered. Bender gave her a teasing smirk. Allison smirked back and winked. "If you INSIST!" Allison licked her lips and kicked a small pile of woodchips from underneath her feet. "But I really don't want my little mistake to ruin your future, John."

"Psh! What future, Al? Honestly? A two-bit garage band frontman? The best I can be one day is a fucking wedding singer!" Bender said. "I ain't gonna be going too far. I'm not about to become Dr. Freud like Big Bri back east and find a cure for cancer!"

Allison giggled to herself. How true. "I said it's fine," she said. "I'm still a little concerned about Danny and Marty, though. What about a place to live? I'm not gonna be living with the Dipshit Squad with a child of mine in there with them!"

"You right. It could be considered child abuse to raise a baby in a house where the baby is smarter than the grandparents!" Bender laughed. Allison jokingly punched him in the arm. The sky was beginning to darken. Bender was meeting his band at 6:30 for a tune-up. Some of the local community college crowd was coming to the rehearsal tonight (thanks to some posters Allison had whipped up and hung around town before finding out she was pregnant).

"Common, let's head down to the shop. Ernie probably picked up some egg rolls and Fritos for us for eats," Bender said getting up. Allison heaved herself to her feet. It might have just been her imagination, but she was already beginning to have a little difficulty squatting and standing up by herself. Her stomach wasn't really showing any signs of bloating yet, but Allison could have sworn she felt something hard in her gut, the size of a small rock or orange; and because Allison was so small, it threw off her balance occasionally. She already hated being a mother. She almost had a feeling now why her own mother hated her so much…

…but then how could that explain mothers who loved their kids?

Allison ignored that mental question and started down the road with Bender.

* * *

_Jesus and the Pirates_ was a pretty good band. Not exactly up to Led Zeppelin's standards, but MUCH better than any local bands Allison had heard. 

Her fliers were evidently very effective. Sixty or so college students, a few high school students, and even a young adult couple on a date gathered around the small corner in the garage to listen to Bender's band rock out the auto shop. The sofas were full; people were sitting on the hoods of cars and on ladders. Ernie probably took in as much income through the soda and candy machines tonight then he had all day with parts sales and oil checks. Bender himself was an okay singer. He sang with a surprisingly light, feathery low tenor voice, nothing like his normal, barking, hard voice. But way beyond his singing voice was his guitar skills. Allison was afraid that he'd set the guitar on fire, he was playing it so well. It was like her and her art. If Bender's parents knew about his radical guitar skills, they'd probably sober up just to see their boy in concert. Okay…maybe not. But then again, her parents hadn't come to a single one of her art shows.

The other members of the band were incredible at their instruments too. All of them had either spiky or long hair in their face, always whipping around in their face as they head banged to each loud song. Allison could see Ernie sometimes closed up in his office, trying to talk on the phone over the loud music. Allison felt loosened up, perched on the arm of the longest rugged sofa, watching Bender. Sometimes, he'd look her way and wink coolly before going into a bridge. A blonde college sophomore holding a beer can looked up at Allison from her place sitting on the floor in front of her.

"Is he winking at YOU?" she shouted. Allison nodded. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Allison shook her head. "No, just a friend."

The girl held up a beer can. "Wanna sip?"

Allison extended a hand to grab the can, then suddenly took it back. She couldn't drink. Damnit. "No thanks," Allison moaned. Her vodka. Her beloved vodka. She couldn't partake of vodka for nine months!

Right about then it pretty much sucked to be Allison Portia Reynolds.

Allison was having fun that night. It was fun being alive in that garage. But on the other hand, it was incredibly depressing knowing that in 7 months, Allison's life would pretty much be over. Oh, what she wouldn't give to strangle the living hell out of Andy at that very moment. She may have started it, but if it weren't for Andy being a horny teenage boy and not a young adult with half a brain, he could have stopped her from trying to screw him.

Allison needed to slap herself. Talk about being irrational!

Suddenly, a familiar face caught the corner of Allison's eye. It was a female figure, hiding behind a black corvette. Allison couldn't see a full face through the clouds of pot smoke and heat from the large group of people smothered into the small poorly-vented garage, even in mid-November. But from what Allison could see, the face seemed to be staring at Bender with an odd look. A wave of curiosity came over Allison as she squinted to try and get a better glance at the blonde figure.

But as quickly as she'd come, she turned her back and ran off down the dark road.


	16. I'm Secretly and Insanely Yours

Another week passed, and Bender found himself in school on a Saturday, but not for a detention. Bender was taking the GED inside. Outside, Allison waited around. She spent some time pacing, and some time drawing, but mostly just thinking about her current position. She couldn't think at home. Danny and Marty still weren't talking to her while always talking ABOUT her, so thinking, eating, pretty much anything except existing was out of the question in her home. For a late November day, it was actually fairly warm at almost 60 degrees. Allison enjoyed the mid-morning sun on her skin as she rubbed her stomach. It still wasn't ballooning up like she anticipated. Rather, her breasts were what was inflating (and they HURT too!). Her thighs were blowing up too. Allison, at the suggestion of Bender to gain a bit of healthy weight, had taken to eating 4 meals a day, the last one being the biggest one, the first one being just a small bowl of cereal or something. Allison was over the 100 lb minimum Dr. Wilson has suggested, but she was still, according to him "grossly underweight to be having a baby." He then told her that the ideal for her at her age was at least 30 pounds more. Allison wasn't really in the mood to eat anything, let alone 30 lbs worth of food. Dr. Wilson said she did have to change a few habits, or else the pregnancy would carry a LOT of complications for both mother and child. Allison had zoned out by this point staring at a diagram of a uterus on the wall.

Allison sat on the steps just waiting while Bender sat inside. How stunned would Dick be that Bender was skipping out on a Saturday detention to take a GED test? Allison giggled when she thought of the look on his face.

Man, how long did those tests take? Allison groaned, staring at the old watch she once stole from her father when he didn't get her one for Christmas. It was coming on 11 AM. She'd been waiting there for 3 hours now. Rudy and Tad were inside as well, but in detention with Dick. Allison groaned and went inside. What harm would it do to "check in" on them?

The look on the four kids' faces as she just walked into the library was priceless. Rudy and Tad were surprised as well. One of the other two was a distant cousin of Claire's, who used to always love to call Allison a Satan-worshipper. He was just too annoying. And Allison didn't even know the guy's name. Only that he was rich and associated with his cousin Claire. He spoke first when she came in.

"A little late, are we?" he asked with an evil smirk.

"Shut it off," Allison muttered. Rudy stood up, looking like he was ready to deal the guy a blow to the jaw, but Allison held up a hand and sat on the table in front of him and Tad. "I got bored," she said. Tad nodded.

"Johnny getting his PH.D?" asked Tad. Allison nodded.

"He's taking a really long time," Allison moped.

"Maybe he's holding up the custodian!" said the annoying freshman cousin.

"Oh fuck you!" Tad moaned. "My policy is, we don't know your name, we don't hesitate to kick your ass clear off you thighs!" Tad said, standing up again. The boy looked afraid for a moment, then bit his lip.

"Richard," said the boy.

"Last name for the record?" asked Rudy, raising an eyebrow. "Standish, is it?"

"No," said Richard. "My last name is….um….Cheese." Only he pronounced it 'shay-zee.'

"You're NAME is _Dick Cheese_?" asked Tad, giving a look of disbelief. The fourth detentioneer, a girl with a pixie-cut, snorted and turned away to hide her laughter. The boy was immediately shut up. Allison smirked and nodded a silent thanks to Tad and Rudy, ever her bodyguards.

Suddenly, someone appeared in the doorway. It was Bender, looking worn out.

"I had a feeling you'd be in here," he said. "Common, let's go down to the garage. Dingleberry, Spazoid, you guys are sprung," Bender said, pointing at Rudy and Tad respectively.

"You got Dick to let us go?" asked Rudy. Bender shook his head.

"Psh, no!" Bender shook his head. "He's staring at naked chicks in the pool again. Won't Petunia be shocked! Haha, come ON!" Rudy, Tad, and Allison followed Bender down the hall and out the back entrance to the school.

"How did you do?" asked Allison.

"I won't know for a few weeks, but who cares?" Bender said.

"That hard, huh?" asked Tad. Bender gave him a slight nod. Allison bit her lip. She didn't want Bender to have a breakdown on a count of her.

* * *

"Ernie, you son of a bitch!" called out Bender as he and Allison walked into the oily and smelly garage. The usual mechanics were going about their normal business, and none of them looked up as Bender and Allison walked in. Ernie was helping Mack and Lumberjack Joe fix a carburetor on a vintage sports car. He looked up and smiled is trademark grin when Bender called out. 

"Dickweed! How goes it?" Ernie yelled, hugging his cousin. Allison laughed. Sometimes Allison wanted to videotape these two guys greeting each other. It was just too funny.

"Ugh, I ache in places I didn't even know I had!" Bender moaned. Ernie looked concerned.

"Got in a rumble?" he asked. Allison shook her head.

"He took a test," she said blankly. Ernie processed the words, and then laughed the huge belly laugh that gave Allison chills.

"Why does that not surprise me?" he laughed. "Hey Johnny Boy, I need to talk to ya for a second in the office," Ernie touched Bender's shoulder.

"Sure cuz…um, Al, go mingle for a few. We'll get a burger in a few minutes, ok?"

Ernie rose an eyebrow. "Hey what about Mingo?"

"Uh, Ern, I've had enough fried broccoli for one lifetime!" Bender said, rubbing his stomach. Allison nodded in agreement.

"If I eat much more, the baby's gonna be born made of MSG!" Allison rolled her eyes. Ernie nodded with an understanding smile as he led Bender into the small office and closed the door. Allison sighed and slowly began walking around the garage. The radio blasted a loud rock ballad from Def Lepperd. Allison sighed and went to sit down on a sofa in the band's corner. Putting her feet up and leaning her head back, Allison sighed. It felt good to get her weight off her feet.

"Hey Al!" Allison looked up to see Alden, a brown-haired college junior earning some extra tuition money as a helper in the garage, walking by her waving his hand.

"Hey Alden!" Allison waved back. As Alden passed in front of her, Allison could see Jerry at his station polishing the side of a red car. He seemed to be talking to someone. Allison smiled. Maybe she could sneak up on him and say hello…

"Hey Jer—" Was all Allison got out as she tapped Jerry's shoulder. Talking to him was none other than Liz Lembo. Liz was flaunting her curves (or lack thereof) with a pink sweater and tight jeans. She even wore golden high heels! Her usually stick-straight blonde hair was permed up about a mile high and then some. She looked about ready to peddle her ass on a street corner in Alabama. Almost like if Olivia Newton-John met Cindy-Lou Who. Liz gave Allison a sly smirk.

"Hello, Allison! I was just telling Jerry about how far back we go!" she grinned.

"She's so sweet!" said Jerry. "I had no idea you two were best friends!"

Allison rose an eyebrow and flashed a phony smile back. "Excuse us a moment," Allison said behind gritted teeth. She grabbed Liz's scrawny wrist and dragged her behind the car. "YOU!" she said, stuttering. "How did you…why did you…find here…COME here?" Allison felt herself grow red in the face.

"Heh heh," said Liz with a sugary-sweet voice (was she trying to pull off a fake Southern accent too?). "Let's not sweat the details!"

Allison groaned. "How can I not?!?!"

Liz put her fake acrylic nail over her lip in a 'sh' gesture. "Colleen's at oboe practice and Maria has a hair appointment. You're a girl, well, so to speak. What is a young lady to do on a lonely ol' Saturday?"

"Um…NOT trying to whore herself off in an AUTO SHOP?!"

Liz wiped the Barbie-doll look off her face. "Get real, I'm not here to flirt with these greaseballs," she said, blowing a curl off her forehead. Allison fumed.

"Then…GET. OUT," she said, like a dog protecting its' territory. Not that this was like her, but one reason Allison usually enjoyed weekends was the fact that she didn't have to put up with Liz's shit.

"Not quite yet…where's your friend?" she asked Allison, looking over her shoulder. Allison was confused.

"Who?"

"Your friend with the long brown hair! He planned to meet me here! He's gonna love me!" Liz said with a slutty smile. Allison's eyes went wide.

"You are such a liar!" Allison said. Liz threw up her hand.

"Alright, you called my bluff! He didn't plan to meet me here, I'll go…" Liz turned her back to Allison and began walking outside. But for a second, she pivoted on her heels and gave Allison a small, ominous salute. "…but I was right about something else!"

"What?" asked Allison harshly.

"…John Bender is gonna love me!" Liz winked and dashed femininely out of the garage and down the street towards the bus stop. Allison didn't know whether to explode into a huge red mushroom cloud of fury, or laugh so hard the baby fell out 7 months too early.

She did the former.

"JOOOOOHN!" Allison felt good reverting back to the way she'd act in front of a classroom….like a kook. She stomped her feet hard on the cement and oil-covered floor as she made her way to the office. That Liz! THAT LIZ! Of all the crazy things she'd tried! Now she had a thing for Bender?!?! Why now did Liz choose to add some of her signature drama to all the crap that already was drowning her? Many of the mechanics stared at her as she paraded through the garage. When she reached the office, she pounded so hard on the door that both Ernie and Bender jumped a mile off the ground when she knocked. Bender went as red as Allison was.

"What is it?"

Allison thought quickly to herself, she REALLY wanted to get out of the garage fast before she made an even bigger scene. Allison knew that Bender knew little enough about pregnancy that she could play the mood swing/hormone card.

"I'm hungry and I'm not waiting!"

Bender didn't say another word.

* * *

"So, wait! Your little hooker demon Liz has a crush on MOI?!" said Bender in McDonald's restaurant. Allison had calmed down quite a bit after she got a few fries and a veggie burger in her stomach. She nodded. Bender uttered a booming laugh that turned the heads of half the building. 

"She's trying to knock me when I'm down," Allison sighed.

"But wait, why does that surprise you? I'm gorgeous!" Bender said, leaning back in his chair and showing himself off for Allison.

"It's just so…IRRITATING! And it takes a LOT to irritate me!" Allison said.

"Ah, chill! You're preggie! You've got an excuse for it!" Bender said. Allison nodded and slurped a little more soda. "You've got nothing to worry about! That girl is probably the LAST girl on Earth I'd date! No, I'd go out with BOYS before I'd go out with Liz Lembo! But—"

"—yeah?"

"Why are you so concerned with a bimbo having a crush on me?" Bender winked.

Allison was silenced. Why did she feel that way?

"You a bit jealous?"

Fuck no! Allison just shook her head.

"I think you a-are!" Bender said in a sing-song voice, smiling. Of course, he was just teasing her. But Allison was growing red in the face again. She shot up and stormed out of the building. Bender shot up and quickly followed her out onto the street. "Common, Al! I was kidding!"

"Bite me! Don't you think I've had enough?" Allison hissed. Bender grabbed her arm. Allison turned around to face Bender.

"Sorry, Al," Bender whispered. Allison and Bender just stared at each other a moment. Allison's lip shook. What was wrong with Bender? He was giving her a really weird look!

Suddenly, Bender randomly lowered his head to meet Allison's. His lips gently brushed hers. Allison felt her spine tingle. But then Bender abruptly pulled away, realizing how cherry-ish he was being. It was something Claire would have expected him to do!

But Allison gave him an odd look before subtly nodding at him with wide eyes, turning, and slowly walking off down the street.


	17. The Way They Were Before

Christmas break had never been such a pain in the ass for Allison. Going into her fourth month, she had finally started showing a little bit of belly growth, and therefore her clothes were getting tighter. Most would think Christmas was a time where Allison could get these new clothes, possibly as gifts from parents. However, Danny and Marty were away for Christmas, so on Christmas day, Allison gave herself the gift of sleeping in. She could go shopping as she got bigger. Bender wouldn't be stopping by on Christmas. He had to deal with his own family. Bender promised he'd stop by for a few minutes if he could get his dad to chug enough eggnog and pass out.

Being 4 months pregnant wasn't as bad as Allison had initially thought. It was just for the first trimester Allison felt like crap. Dr. Wilson said that Allison had been gaining a decent enough amount of weight for the pregnancy to go smoother (she was still only 17, which would still likely bring complications). Allison couldn't fit into most of her skirts anymore. She stuck to her oversized sweaters and baggy jeans (some she snitched from Marty, who was at least 3 sizes bigger than Allison). She always looked like a farmer…but that wasn't much of a downgrade from reclusive Satanist. Anyways, Allison didn't care. As far as feeling went, Allison was feeling a lot less sick and a lot more hungry. She and Bender went out at least 3 times a week for dinner, and she'd had so much takeout that she'd probably eaten the foods of every country in Europe and Asia available at least once. Allison knew she had to start eating healthier, so she got herself some fresh fruits and salads and stashed them where Danny and Marty wouldn't find them, in the back of the fridge.

The day after Christmas, Brian showed up on Allison's doorstep unexpectedly. His parents had sprung him from their tight grip and he immediately thought of her. Allison sighed to herself. _Maybe it'd be better of if this baby was Brian's! _Brian refused to think, speak, or even mention Andy in passing. Allison had the feeling that Brian was struggling to remain neutral when, in fact, Andy had become his enemy too. Okay, so it wasn't like Andy was "the enemy" to the three remaining marauders of The Breakfast Club, but his irresponsibility in never returning Allison's message had really pissed Bender, Brian, and Allison, and all three vowed to keep him out of their minds at the risk of possibly setting something on fire in a fit of rage. Allison agreed. She found getting rid of Andy like going on a diet. After the two-week hump, he wasn't missed.

For the rest of the week they had off, Allison, Bender, and Brian hung out as a trio. Bender and Allison introduced Brian to the guys at the auto shop. On Wednesday that week, Bender slept in late, so Allison decided to show Brian the space above the garage, still not occupied by anyone. Brian seemed to like it up there.

"It seems like it'd make a nice place for a bachelor pad or a yoga studio," Brian remarked. Allison sighed and nodded, touching one of the huge windows and looking out over the street. Looking down below, watching people go by bundled up in the cold just gave Allison an interestingly good feeling. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about winter made her feel alive.

"I haven't told John yet, but I spoke with his cousin Ernie the other day," Allison said, smiling. "He thinks we're going apartment-scouting for me soon, but Ernie's letting me move in up here, rent free!"

Brian grinned. "Oh Allison, that's so great!" Brian took Allison in his arms and embraced her. "I'd break out the champagne, but…"

"…that's okay." Allison sighed again, woefully. It was funny how it'd been tougher for her to give up her vodka than it was giving up the father of her child. Brian looked around the room.

"It's only one room, but I'm sure some walls can be built. Some of the men downstairs must know how to make walls. Some plumbing work will need to be done, along with covering up some of the windows, so you can have some privacy at night. It's a nice big space, Allison. Perfect for two!" Brian analyzed. His father was an architect, and Brian had inherited Ralph Johnson's knack for building and analyzing buildings.

"I had a feeling from the first day that this was destined to be my home at some point," Allison said. During her spare time, in between juggling school, Bender, parents, and pregnancy, Allison had found a few old books of her beloved grandmother's in storage, and it appeared Grandma Flora was very into reading about Hare Krishna, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, and various pagan religions. Allison sat down to thumb through them, and she found herself swept up in to the theories of peace, Nirvana, fate, and the threefold rule. Allison adopted for herself some of her favorite ideas. Interestingly, she felt better. She knew Danny would probably burn her for looking at them (Flora was her maternal grandmother), but what did she care?

"It's ideal too, considering its rent free and inflation is through the roof nowadays, thank you president Reagan!" Brian sighed. Allison laughed at the face he made.

"Do yourself a favor, Brian. Get rich off medicine and not politics! We don't need a nuclear war starting!"

Brian shook his head. "Oh no, I don't plan to even get rich! Besides, if Operation Darth Vader—"

"—Star Wars," corrected Allison.

"If Operation Star Wars doesn't keep us from war, nothing will!" Brian said. Allison laughed. Casual talks like this with Brian and Bender were the reason Allison was alive right now. Allison didn't want Brian to leave, either.

"So, do you know a sex yet for the baby?" Brian asked Allison after a silent moment. Allison shook her head.

"I'm leaving it a surprise," Allison said. Brian shook his head disapprovingly.

"Not a good economic move. How will you know what to buy?"

"Brian, I don't think a baby will care if it's a boy living in a pink room!" Allison said, rolling her eyes. Brian threw up his hands in surrender.

"Fine! But if he grows up like me—"

"—YOU lived in a pink room?"

"My parents wanted a girl so much they put me in dresses until I went off to school," Brian joked. "No, but a few people assume that I'm a, well, you know…"

"…gay? Really?" Allison asked. Brian turned red and nodded. Allison shook her head.

"Brian, if there's one thing I'm learning from been a teen mom, it's that no one's opinion matters but your own. People at school think I'm a whore, but every day I see girls like Claire in the girls' bathroom talking about skipping periods and getting abortions while puffing away at cigarettes. It's because I'm not mainstream, I stand out. But Brian, you can't let people get to you. You have John and me," Allison advised. Brian smiled and licked his front tooth while looking at the ground.

"So, how's Claire and Mr. Dickface?" he asked. Allison bit her lip and tried to hold back a laugh.

"Broken up," she answered. It was true. Claire caught Dickface with one of her friends, and they were over and done. Allison knew it would happen. She noticed Claire giving sad looks to Bender again, bit Bender, while being completely aware, chose to ignore her. Allison thought he was right. Claire had her chance, and she blew it on a whim. No second chances were applicable here. Allison was proud of Bender for keeping his head and not letting Claire fall back into his arms. She couldn't possible expect after all the hell that she would be welcomed back with open arms.

Brian looked almost sad to hear it. Allison dropped her shoulders. "She had to face reality, Brian. I know you liked her as a friend," she said.

"The times really are changing, aren't they?" asked Brian.

"Yes, Bri, they really are," Allison nodded.

Allison turned her head when she suddenly heard footstep in the stairwell. Bender appeared in the doorway in a second, looking incredibly pissed off. Allison turned red. What happened?

"John, what's wrong?" asked Bender. He stomped into the room with his giant rain boots, making a huge ruckus that drowned out the drilling and other working sounds below in the garage.

"My GED results," he muttered.

Allison swallowed a lump in her throat. "Failed?" she asked.

"Passed. Flying colors," he said, wiping the pissed look on his face. Allison almost wanted to collapse. "I'm done with high school!"

"JO-OHN! Don't DO that to me!" Allison punched Bender in the arm, who was smiling pridefully now. Brian came up to Bender too.

"Great job!" he said.

"Thanks Bri!" he said. Allison caught her breath and gave Bender a hug. "Why are you guys up here?"

Allison licked the corner of her lip. "It's all arranged, John. Ernie said I can live here rent-free!" she announced. Bender's smile grew even wider.

"You're kidding!" he said, laughing. "Ern's such a dipshit!" he joked. Allison rolled her eyes.

"Can't you just call each other something family-oriented for once?" she asked.

"Hey, in the Bender family, that IS family-oriented!"

Everyone laughed.

"Let's do lunch you guys!" Bender proposed. "Somewhere nice! Brian's treat!"

"Now, wait just a minute!" Brian said, joking. Allison smiled and laughed heartily. Never had a simple laugh felt so good.

For once, she felt like part of a family.

* * *

Andy paced the wooden floor of his brother's room, anxious and worried. His older brother Adam sat on his bed tossing a football between his hands. A set of keys lied beside Adam. He'd locked himself and Andy in the room. 

"You have to," said Adam.

"I…I can't," replied Andy, staring at the phone on Adam's desk.

"I'll give you the atomic wedgie of your life and hang you on the front door for all of the greater Kenosha area to see," Adam said. "I know you're not listening to your fuck-up brother, but it's not even debatable. You HAVE to call the girl," Adam said.

"I don't think she'd appreciate it," Andy said.

"No, you don't think, period," said Adam. "You knock up and girl and you don't even call her back? Andy, you've changed, man. You come here and turn into a pimp and now you won't even acknowledge the girl you once loved?" Adam said.

"Well, you've changed too, Adam!" said Andy defensively. "You're suddenly Mr. Touchy-Feely—"

"—thank my therapist for that," said Adam, taking a sip of cola from the can on the floor beside him. "I'll hold you hostage in here forever if you don't pick up the phone, call her, and let her know you're coming home."

"Who said anything about going home? Dad—"

"—has to realize you're not 12 anymore. You can drive! Take my fucking car! I'm NOT letting you dump the girl in the trash for something as faggy as a wrestling scholarship!"

Faggy? God, what was it with everyone thinking wrestling was a gay sport?

"I can't. I'm just too nervous…"

"I really should have pissed before putting you on lockdown. I didn't think it'd take this long!"

"Oh shut it off, Adam! You have no idea how nerve-wracking this is!" Andy said, gripping his forehead. Adam stood up and grabbed Andy's shoulder.

"Fine, I'll make a deal. Call her, and you can choose whether to go back or not. Don't worry about George. I can deal with him. But you need to promise to think long and hard about going back," Adam bargained. Andy nodded. That was much fairer than his previous bargain with George. Andy stared at the white phone for a moment, and then suddenly lunged at it, picking it up and dialing Allison's number.

Three rings, then an answering machine message played…

_"This is Danny and Marty Reynolds. Leave a message at the tone and we'll try to get back to you as soon as we can…"_

Andy grunted. Answering machines were not his friends at the moment. He took a deep breath and sighed before leaving the message.

"Allison? This is…Andy. I…got your message. Please call me back and tell me if you need me there," Andy said before feeling a shot of nerves hit him and hanging the phone up hard. Adam shook his head.

"You are such a fag," Adam moaned. "But, rules is rules," he said, tossing the keys at Andy, who unlocked the door and quickly retreated to his own room. He dug through his endless drawers and cabinets for something. He took it out and fell onto his bed, panting heavily and staring at the small bottle in his hand.

Allison's hand lotion.

Andy had done it. He made the call. He expressed coming back into his old girlfriend's life. It was a thought he had in his mind since the day she gave him the message that she was having his baby. Andy realized that he wanted Allison back for real, and that he'd been such a dipshit.

He just had the subtle feeling Allison didn't want him back.


	18. Have A Nice Life

January 1985 was a bitter cold one, in more ways than one. Allison managed to find some of her grandmother's old baggy sweaters, so they fit Allison in her growing state. Even her baggiest sweater was growing tight. Her parents were talking to her, but they weren't kind or encouraging, or even sympathetic words exchanged. Danny always quoted some Bible text about illegitimate children, and Marty kept repeating that Allison was the reason why she lost a major case (Allison couldn't find a connection) and that the new baby would cost Marty and Danny a 'shit load of money, and we can't afford to keep any kids around right now.'

The day Brian went back to college at NYU was a sad one for Allison. Brian had been a great support to her and Bender. He was as loyal as a hound dog and as sympathetic as a person could be. He'd been asked by Claire about Bender multiple times during his stay, and Allison knew it. Brian sided with Bender, however, and as much as he felt everyone deserved a second chance, Claire had crossed a line at one point, and Brian rarely addressed her back. Bender, Allison, and Brian had spent Brian's month home together as much as possible. They were tight. Even Rudy and Tad grew to think of Brian as more than a skinny nerd in baggy pants. Brian, of course, had to get past their initial skeptical attitude, but Brian quickly grew on Tad and Rudy. The five of them had one of the best months of any of their lives. Allison thought that maybe, this was the real Breakfast Club she was walking around with now.

As for Andy's message on her answering machine, Allison had taken the tape out of the answering machine, labeled it, and played it over and over just to hear Andy's message. It gave her a tingle up and down her spine listening to his voice. She decided in the end to not respond. It wouldn't do much good. Besides, she had everything she ever wanted in her four friends. Why would she want to risk breaking that up? Besides, Andy's message felt forced. Like he was on lockdown or something until he made the call. No use dragging Andy back home where he didn't want to be. So after about a week or so, she threw out the tape and didn't think about it again.

Allison managed to push on through school even without Bender there with her. Ernie had generously given him full time at the garage on a nice salary. Despite being called down to Hashimoto every other day to talk about "options" and Liz spreading the rumors which would make a being of the norm shoot themselves, Allison still had Tad and Rudy by her side. That was plenty. Bender would take his lunch breaks at the school and then they'd be together for that ½ hour every day, Allison's favorite ½ hour of the day.

On the second Saturday of January, Allison had an appointment with Dr. Wilson for her monthly check up. She usually got a bus to take her into Chicago to the appointment. Bender usually wouldn't go near the doctor's office. Allison didn't know why…maybe medical buildings were his weakness or something? Allison brushed it off. After the appointment, she was going to go home and start packing. Bender would help her, and tad and Rudy planned to meet them at the garage. They, along with Ernie and a few of the mechanics, had been working since New Year's at building walls and fixing the plumbing up…and adding a few appliances like a stove and refrigerator for free.

When she got home from her appointment, Allison found Bender sitting on the sofa in the living room about to light up. Allison threw her coat at him, startling him.

"DON'T! Marty and Danny will kill—"

"—you aren't living under their roof as of next weekend. I don't think you should concern yourself with them anymore!"

"They can still pick up the phone and have you arrested!" Allison grabbed the joint from Bender's hand and opened a window, hurling it outside to the street below. Bender gave Allison an odd look. Allison raised an eyebrow, and Bender groaned. "Let's get some stuff together."

"How much do you have?" asked Bender, following Allison into her room.

"Other than 60 lbs of sweater…and 121 pounds of mom, not much," Allison said, handing Bender a box and opening her desk drawer. Bender didn't have time to get a look before Allison began unloading the wads of notebooks, papers, photos, etc., into the box in his hands. A book fell to the floor. Allison picked it up and looked through it before putting it on top of the pile. Bender looked. It was a journal! He wondered, if only for a sec, what could possibly be written in it.

"121 lbs?" asked Bender. "Geez…"

"I know," Allison muttered, rubbing her stomach lightly.

"Did you get the pickup from Big Joe?" asked Allison. "We'll need it…"

"Yeah, it's out front," Bender said. Suddenly, he heard a door open, and voices. Marty and Danny were home. Time for the 'fun' to begin. Bender groaned and put the box down, looking at the door with anticipation.

"Danny! I tell you, that's NOT the way to handle the Swanson case!"

"And I tell YOU, Marty, Kathy and Chip Swanson had no right to try handling it on their own before they came to us! The whole file looked like a tornado ripped through it!"

"But come ON! You were WAY out of line!"

"ME?"

"YOU!"

Allison sighed and gently closed the door to her room. Marty and Danny sounded like they were arguing. Again. They were fighting with each other a lot more since the 'news' came out, and not just ABOUT Allison either. It used to be work was the one thing they truly agreed on. Not anymore, obviously. Allison didn't bother letting them know that she was planning to move out by the end of next week. Why would they care? More room for them to argue! Maybe they'd start throwing things at each other like Jack and Roxanne Bender! Might as well make it a perfect 10 in the dysfunctional family department! All the more reason for Allison not to look back after she left.

"Sounds like World War Four…" Bender muttered.

"Four?"

"Roxanne started Three last week when she told my old man that 'cigarettes weren't in the budget, the electric bill was overdue' or something like that," said Bender. Allison nodded.

"Sucks to be you," Allison said.

"No more than it does to be you," said Bender.

Allison finished emptying out her bedside stand and went to her closet and opened the door. Bender was amazed. Her closet, a walk-in, was bigger than her room as a whole! Rather than being stuffed with clothes and shoes, there was only a large trunk in the corner of the room covered in an old sheet. Allison sighed and removed the sheet. "Might as well go through this and see if anything's worth keeping around…"

"What is it?" asked Bender.

"My Grandma Flora's old trunk. She secretly left it to me after she died because she didn't think Marty and Danny were 'worth half of what was inside.'"

"She fucking got that part right! You know what's in it?"

"Yeah," said Allison, cracking open the trunk. The first things she extracted her a few old ledgers and photo albums. "Keep these…" she instructed Bender, placing them in the box he'd just picked up. "…and these…" she said, putting a small jewelry case in the box. "I think her ruby engagement ring was in there…."

"And your parents never wondered where this stuff was?" asked Bender.

"Hell no," Allison shook her head. "They were too busy fighting over her estate and her cash, which she had none of anyway. But Danny and Marty are eternally convinced that there's a buried box of cash somewhere around. Too bad they didn't get to it first…"

"This is a buried box of treasure? More like pawn shop junk to me…"

"I'd expect you to say that," Allison muttered, putting a few fedora hats, certificates, a bottle of brandy from 1927, even a flapper-like dress and straight out of the 1920's in the box. Bender wondered why she really needed all that junk in the first place. Allison pulled out a single heeled shoe, all but disintegrated, looked at it, even smelled it, and then put it in the box. She sifted through a few strings of pearls, a TIME magazine from 1925, and four or five booklets of sheet music for various jazz tunes. Grandma played the trumpet, and even that was carefully preserved in it's black trunk off to one side. Allison opened up the trumpet case and looked at the faded brass instrument inside. She sighed and closed the trunk, putting it in the box.

"Ah! Here we go…" Allison carefully extracted a wad of yellowish-white lace from the bottom of the trunk. After unraveling it, it was revealed to be a very old-fashioned, very dolled up wedding gown. Bows, fluffs, crinoline skirts, and satin sashes tumbled every which way. Bender thought it could pull double duty as a wedding dress and a tent if the honeymoon was at a camp site. "It was Flora's grandmother's wedding gown! Surprised it's even in this good condition! Over 100 years old…"

"Jesus Christ, a 100 year old marshmallow!" Bender laughed.

"Marty didn't wear it to her wedding. Flora wouldn't give it to her. When I went to stay with her, she'd put it on, and I put on one of the fedora hats and we'd play 'wedding.' And I never wanted to put this thing on! I wanted to be the groom."

Bender snickered. "What a dyke you were!"

"Exactly," Allison said. "This alarmed Danny, so that's how he got me into those damn beauty pageants. I'm not a dyke, but I guess I am a tomboy."

Bender laughed more. "You taking it with you?"

"No shit, Sherlock," Allison muttered, carefully folding up the dress and putting into a box of it's own.

"What is he doing here?" chimed an angry voice from behind the pair. Marty, bottle of booze in hand, stood behind them. Danny, behind her, was squeezing a liquid stress buddy so hard Allison felt it was going to pop.

"He's….helping me move," said Allison. Marty went red.

"Wha?" Danny asked. "What the hell is this? Moving?"

"Definitely not, Allison!" Marty demanded.

Bender was about ready to leap to her defense, but Allison managed to speak first.

"Why do you care?" asked Allison, hauntingly calm. "You didn't seem to care about me before I got pregnant….why do you bother caring now?"

"You'll have nowhere to go!" Danny said.

"I'm living in nowhere right now," Allison shot back. "You're not my parents," she said, shaking her head.

"Yes we are, and as long as you're living under our roof—"

"—but that's just it! You don't give a damn about me! I'm not living under your roof anymore!" Allison said, her nose turned up.

"If anyone finds out you're illegitimately pregnant, who'll cover for you?" asked Marty.

"No one has before. Oh, wait….ONE person has stuck up for me…and he's not either of you," Allison said, looked at Bender. He looked interested in Marty's and Danny's next play.

"If you leave this house, you can just forget about coming back!" Danny said.

"Thanks for the blessing," Allison snapped back. Marty wore a look of fury. Danny's stress buddy popped, spilling blue goop all over his hand. He didn't even notice.

"Allison Marie Reynolds—"

"Have a nice life, you two."

Allison picked up two of the packed boxes, and pointed silently at Bender to pick up the third. He obeyed without a word and followed Allison to the door. She let Bender go out the front door into the hallway first, but then Allison suddenly stopped and turned back to her former parents.

"By the way, it's Portia. Not Marie. Por-tia."

And with that, she walked out of her prison cell and stepped onto the street a free woman. Free at long last.


	19. Welcome Home

The truck ride over to the auto shop was silent. Allison had a lot on her mind though. How she'd finally broken out of her 17-year prison. She felt so liberated, so free. It was almost like she could go dancing on the moon now. Nothing could stop her. She was living on her own. She was free of her parent's rule forever.

Oh yeah, she was still in school. Oh well, 2/3 wasn't bad.

Something else was on Allison's mind. As Bender got her into the truck (getting harder and harder to do stuff now that she was carrying a 10-pound load in front of her), he had told her that he was proud of her for what she'd done. But it wasn't his voice that spoke…it was his eyes. Something about the way his eyes gleamed at her that struck Allison and gave her chills. She'd seen Bender look that way when he and Claire were over the summer. It was easily mistakable for a mischievous glimmer, but Allison knew those eye-tricks. They were Andy's eye-tricks too. Andy could easily make his glimmer eyes look like intensive, pensive eyes. It almost made Allison's heart jump…but she thought better of it. It must have been the baby kicking. She'd been feeling it little by little lately…but whenever she wanted to feel it, the little crapper was asleep. Allison could tell this kid was going to resemble her in spirit…it was already defying orders and doing its own thing.

Anyways, Allison chose to address the eyes, but not now. She wanted to confront Bender alone…and not on the road. She had been meaning too for awhile, after he kissed her that little while back. But Allison had also set that little tidbit aside for later settling. The kiss wasn't bad. He actually had a nice, gentle kiss, which was very surprising. Allison would've thought Bender would be the aggressive-kisser, like Andy was. When Andy used to kiss Allison, Allison felt her legs turn to jello…like he was casting a spell on her that she couldn't escape from. Bender's kiss was passive, it was nice, and not to constrictive. Like an innocent first kiss. Allison noted that Claire and Bender NEVER kissed in public. That was a bit confusing. Bender didn't seem to have a problem laying one on her in front of the fast-food joint. Allison hadn't forgotten it. She just needed to wait for the place and time to talk to Bender about what the kiss meant…or didn't mean.

Then again, kisses weren't the #1 thing on Allison's agenda. Allison hadn't planned to formally leave her apartment for the downtown Shermer area for another week. Tad, Rudy, Ernie, and all the other volunteer mechanics weren't ready for Allison's surprise arrival. She had the feeling she'd have to live military-style (i.e. cots and candles) or mooch to the max until next weekend. But she was more than willing to put up with it. She and Bender pulled up in front of the garage with Allison's packages by 5 that afternoon. Ernie was closing up shop early.

"Ern! WAIT UP!" Bender dove out of the truck before it stopped all the way. Allison had to reach over and slam on the breaks.

"Johnny boy! What the hell? You could have broken your ass off!" Ernie yelled.

"Ern, open up. Allison had to leave early!" Bender said. Ernie raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why?"

"My parents drove me over the edge," Allison answered for herself. Truth be told, if she'd stayed back at the apartment the whole extra week, Danny would have probably sent her away to "take care of her sick aunt" for four more months. Allison had the feeling she'd gotten out just in the nick of time.

"I get it," Ernie nodded. "Come on in! Good thing ya caught me before I left!"

"You usually don't shut down for another hour, dumbass!" Bender said, taking a box from out of the back of the truck.

"I know, but there's been this chick, cute as a button, but as annoying as an infomercial! Comes around all dolled up and pisses everyone off. She's actually been looking for you, she says," Ernie said.

"Oh for the love of Jesus on a stick!" Bender moaned.

"Liz Lembo," Allison nodded. "She hates me. I know you're not partial to hitting girls, Ern, but you have my permission to slug her if she comes around again."

Ernie shook her head. "She most often comes around in the last hour, so that's why were' closing up now," he said. Bender nodded and looked at Allison.

"Don't let her get to any of you," Allison said. Ernie and Bender nodded as Ernie opened up the door for Allison.

The upstairs apartment that was to become Allison's new home was a mess. Apparently, Tad and Rudy's latest, but not greatest, project was adding a wall between what was designed to be the baby's room and the kitchen. Fragments of wasted drywall and various nails and tools were littered on the floor. Otherwise, the room was fairly decently done. Allison had her own small room separate from the baby, everything in it placed except for the carpet (Alden was bringing that on Friday). Allison was given a nice big bed (Queen size? Man, how could ANY of those guys swing THAT?) Then, on the other side of the bedroom wall was a small TV/living room. Yes, there was a TV all set up, even cable. The kitchen has a stove, a sink, a fridge, and even a freezer and a microwave! Allison nearly cried. What seemed like a huge vacant storage space was now a beautifully-redone apartment (nicer than her old room by far) with furnishing Allison neither essentially needed, nor asked for (a sofa AND a loveseat? Geez!). The floor-to-ceiling windows Allison loved were all still untouched, but there were light purple curtains to be closed and opened at will. Except for the nursery and the kitchen wall, everything was set to go!

Allison dropped the box she was carrying and cried. She hadn't expected all this to be done!

"Al, what's wrong? Is the color too pale or something?" asked Ernie.

"It's so much!" Allison whined. "I…I can't believe you idiots!"

Bender laughed.

"Why did you bother so much with me? How can I POSSIBLY pay you back?" Allison tried wiping tears away with the sleeve of her fleece sweater. No good.

"We didn't BOTHER at all," Ernie confessed. "You're worth it! PLUS…Jerry's girlfriends' dad owns a second-hand electrics store, so a few handy strings were pulled, of course!"

Allison wanted to cry more. Did Ernie just say she was WORTH it?

"I'll let you get settled. Johnny, ya got a lot of those boxes?"

"Only three or four more," Bender answered. Ernie nodded and closed the door. Allison moaned softly to herself and went to her bed. She lied down on it. _Secondhand my ass! _Allison thought. _It feels like a bed in a 5-star hotel! _Not that Allison had ever BEEN in one…but it was sooo cozy!

"Oh god…I'll never stand up again!" Allison giggled, rubbing her stomach as Bender entered the room. He looked at the walls…bare, of course.

"We'll need some wallpaper in here, of course, maybe if we could find a—"

Allison suddenly felt the baby kick. She let out a little yelp. Bender stopped mid-sentence. "What?"

"He kicked," Allison smiled. Bender thought a moment.

"He? You know?" asked Bender. "And you didn't tell me?"

Allison shook her head. "It's just a notion I had. I'm carrying high, right? Besides, I had a dream last night that it's going to be a boy," Allison said.

"You really believe in all that dream shit?" asked Bender.

"Yes, I do!" Allison said with a smirk on her face.

"Why am I not surprised?" Bender licked the corner of his lip as he sat beside Allison on the bed. "My back's killing me…"

"…no need to ask," Allison said quickly. Bender sighed and laid down next to Allison, looking up at the ceiling.

"That dipshit forgot to seal that crack," Bender sighed to himself. "You'll be able to sleep and shower at the same time. Tad's such a wuss-ass!"

Allison, smirking, made a grab for Bender's hand. Bender turned his head quickly in her direction, but Allison already laid his hand on her swollen gut. Bender didn't really move, but he seemed a little awkward. Allison secretly prayed to whoever was inside her to kick just once when she asked.

Allison suddenly felt like she was being punched from the inside. Within her mind, she thanked the baby as she saw the blood rush to Bender's face.

"He likes you already," Allison whispered. She decided to work it a little more.

Allison had planned for this to happen. She wanted Bender to sweat a bit before she even asked about the kiss or the glimmer in his eye. She knew it would make things a little more interesting…

"Yeah…" Bender muttered.

Allison moved his hand a bit lower. Bender bit his bottom lip.

"That's where his heart is," Allison muttered.

Bender suddenly shot up. "I need to get home."

Damn.

Allison tried to shoot up, but instead she had to shuffle to the edge of the bed and slowly ease to her feet.

"JOHN! WAIT!" Allison shouted. John reached for the door that led downstairs. Allison, wittingly, had locked the door and had the only copy of the key. "What's the hurry?" Allison asked, pouting her lips. She moved closer to him.

"Let me out, this is stupid!"

"I need to get—"

"—home so your dad can smack you up again?" Allison snapped back, suddenly angry. "You've got problems!"

"Look, you're all set! Ernie's going to haul up your goddamn boxes, so call me tomorrow, alright?"

"Why are you in such a hurry?!"

"Because I **FUCKING **HAVE TO GET HOME!" Bender shouted. Allison could see where he was in denial…but this sudden outburst of rage was too much for even her to handle. She forgot his incredibly short fuse, and maybe she DID move his hand a little too low. Allison didn't want to cry in front of him, so she whipped out her key and unlocked the door.

"Good night!" She spat at John, grabbing the back of his shirt and literally shoving the man out the door and down the stairs, slamming the door behind him. Allison whipped around and went to one of the floor-to-ceiling windows, pressing her forehead against the glass. She suddenly felt a lot of small punches in her stomach. Had it heard their fight? Was it having a fit. Allison rubbed her stomach.

"There, there, junior," Allison muttered. "He's not your REAL daddy."

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder whip her around. Before she could process what was going on, she felt a pair of lips against hers. Immediately recognizing them, she let herself close her eyes and melt into his kiss. Her spine and neck tingled.

When Bender let go of her, his eyebrows knitted, but his eyes full of that familiar glimmer.

"You're a mind-reading witch! You know that?" Bender said, his voice obviously raspy from the yelling, but as soft and kind as it could go. "Did you know it?"

Allison gave an odd look. "What?"

"You knew and were trying to get me to admit it?"

"Admit what?"

"I don't wanna say the word."

"Why not?" Allison took his hand in hers tenderly.

"Because it'll be Claire all over again."

Allison rolled her eyes and moaned. "John, that is probably THE stupidest thing I've EVER heard come out of your mouth!"

Allison sat Bender down on the huge bed again before continuing. "Claire left you because of Dickface, am I right?"

"Yeah," Bender said, brushing a lock of hair out of his face. Outside, a soft snow began falling as the sky grew dark.

"And seriously…I know no one else who I'd leave you for."

"Jockstrap," Bender said quickly.

"John Bender, don't be such a dumbass. Do you REALLY think I'm dumb enough to take him back if he ever came around after what he did to me?"

"Nawh," Bender smiled.

"Then do it again!" Allison squeaked excitedly. She grabbed Bender's hair and brought his head level with hers to kiss him again. When she let go, Bender's lip remained pouted, as if to say "please, don't stop!"

"So…are we going to be stupid anymore?" Allison asked.

"Oh shut up!" Bender said, kissing Allison again. Boy, did that feel good!

"Move in with me?" Allison asked between breaths.

"Damn straight," Bender said.

Allison couldn't remember what happened the rest of the night…she was spun up in such a whirl of romance and Bender. All she remembered was she felt something she'd felt only once before in her life.

Only this time…it was right.


	20. Club Jupiter: Part I

Despite the tender moments between Bender and Allison the previous night, Bender got up early to get home while his mom and dad were still to hungover to function properly. He didn't have a lot, but he wanted to pack up and get out as soon as he could. Moving in with Allison suddenly made him wake up and feel like a new man. For once, he felt ready to wake up and face the day. He quietly snuck out of bed and put on his shirt so that Allison wouldn't wake up. Last night's confessions were like a good bag of doobage to him. He felt high and pumped.

After leaving a note explaining that he'd be back by lunchtime, Bender slowly went downstairs and started off down the street for home. The truck was gone…Ernie probably took it home with him. Allison's boxes were piled up inside his office. The air was cold and crisp, and the sun was glaring on the fresh dusting of snow on the ground. It was so bright and chilly outside Bender's eyes hurt and watered at the same time, but he sure as hell didn't care. He kept his 'poker face' as he walked, but his heart was finally smiling again like he never thought it would.

"Heeey!"

On second thought…

Bender groaned loudly as he saw Liz leaning on a telephone pole wearing a furry parka. "What's a big guy like you doing up so early?"

"It's the Abominable Snow Breast!" Bender wailed. "Get lost!"

Liz started following him, unfazed. "You know, John, you don't scare me….gosh, I mean you'd scare me more if you were shirtless and hard—"

"—Jesus Christ! I said GET LOST!" Bender shouted.

"I know what she's trying to get you to believe, John," said Liz. "But I just want to let you know that girls like Allison, they'll dump you after the birth. She's one of those 'independent spirits' who work better alone!" Liz sighed loudly, her breath freezing in midair and curling up in it's vapor form around Bender nose. He snorted as if a cold was coming on.

"Lemme rephrase my sentence…GO GET KILLED!" Bender felt himself shoving her out of his path before continuing along his way. Liz fell into a snow bank. She watched helplessly as Bender, standing tall, passed her on his way home. Liz sunk her head back into the snow bank and cried softly, and genuinely, to herself.

* * *

Two long, miserable weeks passed, and the end of the semester brought little relief. Between trying to finish the apartment and going to school looking like a whale and a half, not to mention still more teasing, the baby was kicking more and getting heavier, and Vernon's dirty looks following her around at school, Allison was exhausted. On the last Saturday in January, she and Bender were wallpapering the living room. Allison had the heat turned up on max, and Bender felt like he was in a sauna. But if it was the way Allison wanted it, he'd even turn it up higher for her.

"Phew! It's so cold in here!" Allison wailed at one point, to which Bender gave Allison his jacket. It was funny how even his huge trench coat wasn't big enough for her anymore. But Allison made do with it. "John, I need to sit," Allison whined, collapsing into the love seat. "I feel so useless."

"I can get Rudy up here in ten to help," said Bender, going for the phone, only to realize it wasn't even hooked up yet. "We really need to kick Tad in the nuts. He was supposed to hook us up last week! The guy is useless!"

"It's okay, he had a lot of work just like I did this semester!" Allison said.

"Well then, just sit down for a minute!" Bender advised. Allison looked around her.

"John, I'm already sitting!"

Bender blushed. Allison loved when he did that. Bender sat down on the arm of the sofa and sighed out through his nose. Allison loved when he did that too.

"I can't believe it's not even time yet for this baby!" Allison moaned. "I'm tired! My back is murder, I can't even tell if I'm wearing shoes anymore! My feet are gone!" Laying her head back on the sofa, Allison blew a few tufts of hair out of her fact. "And as soon as I have the child, I need to get a job…"

"Al, we've been through this a zillion times! Ern's letting you stay here rent-free!"

"Yeah, well, the kid needs to eat and shit, right? Not to mention he's not going to be raised a nudist!" Allison said back. Bender put his hand on Allison's shoulder as he moved next to her on the sofa.

"Why not? I think it'd be liberating!" Bender said, smirking. Allison laughed a little in her throat.

"He'd get cold in the winter!" Allison said. She then sighed again. "I still need a job. I'm looking at a record store about 4 miles from here, it just opened up. I think it's called TRAX or something. John, I need this job. I'm not having you waste your salary solely on me just because we're living together now!"

Bender smiled and licked the corner of his lip. "Say it again!"

"Huh?"

"The part about us living together!" Bender said.

Allison rolled her eyes. "We're living together!" Allison said, sneezing afterwards. Bender let out a chuckle. Allison's sneezed sounded like a singing Munchkin on crack. Allison pouted her lip.

"John, you are such a—"

"—oh baby! Your sneezes turn me on faster than a porno and a bowl of green M&Ms!" Bender started kissing the crook of Allison's neck.

"John, how can we…um…DO anything?" Bender ignored her and kept going, now running his kisses down her shoulder. "John, JOHN! I don't think I'm anatomically fit to…._**JOHN**_!" Allison moaned. She rolled her eyes and kicked his thigh enough so she could get up. "Seriously, how much fun would I be in bed with my load right now?"

"I heard the added stress makes it hotter, if you wanna try!"

"Yeah, hotter for you! It'd be hard trying to make love with a watermelon on my gut!" Allison said, rubbing her stomach.

"Awww, you're mean!" Bender said, pouting and crossing his arms. Allison smiled at John and picked up a roll of wallpaper, studying the light purple pattern. "Al?"

"Yes, John?"

"You wanna go out tonight?"

"John, you know we can't! So much to do right now! Do I have to be the only one taking responsibility around here?"

Bender got up and took Allison in his arms. "Well, better you than me. I'd end up setting the place on fire!" Allison smiled and kissed him on the nose lightly. "We need a night out. It might be the last time we go out for awhile, you know!"

Allison considered this. "I suppose ONE night would be fun! Where do you want to go?"

* * *

Club Jupiter was located in the basement of a rundown coffee house long since out of use. It was loud and adventurous, and for that reason many people preferred the sensible country club to the bright, stupefying world of deafening garage bands and drinks served to minors. It had a stage, a dance floor, a café, a bar, and sometimes a karaoke night. The general crowd was usually college-aged or under, and the music was ALWAYS metal and rock. Bender had taken Allison there along with Claire and Brian during the week over the summer Andy was in the hospital, to help settle Allison's clouded mind. None of them had been back since, well, at least until now. Bender actually called his band last minute, and the Club eagerly allowed _Jesus and the Pirates _to play. Bender played at Club Jupiter several times over the past year, and were a smash hit almost every time they played. So when Bender took Allison down there, he brought his guitar and met with the guys backstage, but not before sitting Allison at the best table in the house.

The band played a few new songs for the Club, which was on it's feet dancing like mad. Allison felt Bender getting better with ever gig, ever note he played. At one point, Bender spoke into the mic between songs. "This one I wrote just this week, and it's for a very unique and amazing person, you k now who you are!" he said, winking at Allison. Bender then, along with the band, proceeded to play a song called "Out of My Skull." The melody was hot and face-paced. It seemed to be the best song of the night so far. Allison loved the chorus the best…

_My little reclusive one,_

_You not alone no more,_

_Ignore the past,_

_Ignore the pain,_

_And see what livin's for!_

_Come out of shadows _

_My sanity's gone_

_Darling, can't you see?_

_You drive me up a tree,_

_I'm out of my skull for you, _

_Damn, girl, I'm out of my skull for you!_

Allison loved it.

After Bender's set, Allison got out of her seat and had to kiss Bender. "That song was so intense!"

"Yeah, just a little something I picked up at the Intense Song Store!" Bender smiled.

"Very funny!" Allison said. Bender sat down in the seat where Allison had just been sitting. "Do you mind if I dance a little bit?"

"Why would I stop you? Go for it!" Allison spiraled out to the floor. It was quite the sight to see…a pregnant girl dressed in black from head to toe, doing very strange moves in the middle of the floor. Her dark brown hair whirled around her like a hurricane whirling around the eye. The people around didn't seem to care that she wasn't exactly Ginger Rogers. A few people even began dancing like her after awhile. Allison seemed to beam brighter than before at the attention she was getting. Her smile set Bender's heart on fire, although he wouldn't really show it. Bender admired the fact that Allison didn't care how foolish she looked. Maybe if HE were a little more like that…

Allison winked at him from the dance floor, and he winked back with a slight wave. His little reclusive one…

He was so concentrated on Allison; Bender didn't notice someone sitting down next to him at the table. He usually didn't mind, either. All he heard was the shuffle of the chair as the man sat down.

"Look at her, eh?" said the man beside Bender. Bender didn't bother to turn his head. He just kept looking at Allison.

"Who?" he asked.

"The pregnant one. She's got some unique moves!" said the man. Bender nodded.

"Yeah, well, she and I just moved in together, so we figured we needed one last night of rock before the little bundle of joy came."

The man bit his lip and was confused. "Oh?" was all the man muttered.

"Yeah," Bender said. Allison was attempting a sad moonwalk on the floor. She bumped into a few people, who laughed along with her and started showing her how to really do it right. "Yeah, she and I—" Bender looked down at his feet and the feet of the man randomly sitting next to him. Those sneaker, those WHITE sneakers, he'd SEEN them before. Suddenly, it came to him. He couldn't believe who he was sitting next to. Still, Bender didn't turn his head toward the man. Not yet…

"I'm not the father," said Bender. "The father was a dickweed and left her before she even found out she'd gotten knocked up!"

"Dickweed?" asked the man. "Maybe he was then, but hasn't he come…um…come back since?"

Bender sighed. "No. But it's for the best. I think the guy was such a moron for what he did, Allison deserves so much more than the asshole that left her behind."

"Maybe he wasn't a moron! Maybe he just felt…um…bad about what he did to her!"

Bender bit his lip. "Did you hear me say that he left BEFORE she found out she was pregnant?"

The man sighed loudly and tapped his foot up and down nervously. "Well, I—"

Bender whipped his head around and grabbed Andy by his shirt, lifting him out of his seat, giving him a punch that sent him sprawling over the table and onto the floor.


	21. Club Jupiter: Part II

It was all so random. One minute, Allison was getting moon-walking lessons from two of the regular patrons at Club Jupiter…and the next, Bender was swinging at someone who'd happened to sit down next to him. It was like the whole room erupted into chaos as the fight broke out. Allison didn't even have time to see who Bender was so pissed off at. All she could to was struggle to get past the waves of people surrounding the fight. Allison couldn't find a clear path to her date.

Meanwhile, Bender felt himself being heaved to his feet by two spectators so Andy could crawl out from underneath him just as the rage within himself surged to a climax. Just one more punch….just one more! He had no right to be here! As far as Bender was concerned, Andy could go to hell and no one would care. Why the hell was he back anyways? Psh! As if he didn't already know! Well, he wasn't going to get what he wanted. Not from him. Not from here.

"**YOU LITTLE SHIT!** GO BACK TO FAGGOT TOWN AND LEAVE US ALONE! WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE ANYMORE!!" Bender was screaming. Allison, from the back of the crowd, could only hear his words. Uh oh…she knew now EXACTLY who Bender was fighting with! Allison tried even harder to push her way through the edge of the crowd. Andy was home.

"Get them both OUTTA here!" yelled the manager from the stage, waving his hands around in a panic.

"Get your hands OFF me!" Andy hollered, trying to regain his dignity. Bender had just pounced on him like an animal! "What the hell's your problem?"

"You know DAMN well what's the problem!" Bender shouted back. He suddenly noticed that no one was restraining him, so he lunged after Andy again. Andy couldn't duck in time and got pinned again. Andy then kicked Bender hard enough in the thigh so he could escape. Allison peeked at the scene from behind to large men.

"JOHN! Andy!" Allison yelled. She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and looked into a vaguely familiar face…a face that she'd seen once or twice before. It smiled at her and looked her up and down a few times before meeting her eyes again.

"Are you Allison Reynolds?"

Allison nodded.

* * *

Bender was so quick, he raced out of the Club and managed to meet Andy on the street corner. It had snowed since they'd been in the club, and the air was wet and cold and hardly tolerable. It was still snowing, yet the sidewalk was only lightly covered. Anyone who was running like Andy was would be lucky not to fall and break his neck before reaching a car or building. The air was quiet and calm, but the anger and furious energy that spilled onto the street by the two fighting boys was magnified by the barren side street, almost like an echo fed off the emptiness of a cave. It was eerie. No one was on the street. Andy slipped on a patch of black ice on the sidewalk, which gave Bender enough time to tackle him a third time.

"Argh! I just came back to see her!" Andy hollered. After a pause, he said with a softer tone, "I'm ready to take responsibility for what's mine now." Bender began kicking him repeatedly and didn't listen. Bender's energy built up with every kick he dealt. Andy was trying to fight back, but for once, failing miserably. Bender's passionate cause was overpowering Andy's.

"Yeah? Well I was ready five months ago!" Bender yelled back, hitting Andy just above the eyebrow. Andy's head smashed against the sidewalk. He remained immobile. Bender thought for a split second that he'd killed Andy. No, Andy was still breathing, he'd just gotten knocked out. After being still a moment, Andy came back, his head bleeding where he hit the pavement. Bender also bled from the nose a bit where Andy had managed to swing at him, but Andy by far had taken the worse hit. Bender still didn't seem satisfied. Funny how no one followed him out onto the street to watch the fight…

…oh yeah, this wasn't the high school. He'd forgotten.

"You don't deserve her! Running away from her like that! You're not getting her back!" Bender yelled. "Go to hell!"

"I didn't run away! My dad made me move!" Andy protested.

"LIAR! YOU A FUCKING LIAR!!"

"Actually, he's not."

Bender let up on Andy when he heard Allison's voice. Andy sat up straight. Allison, Bender's long trench coat wrapped tightly around her (Bender was so tall and she was so short that it almost looked like a full-length dress on her), had finally found her way out of the Club, and Adam Clark was right beside her, his hands shoved in his pockets, his feet rocking back and forth. Allison's look was completely neutral. Andy couldn't help but notice how good Allison looked, even in her six months or so of pregnancy. She'd filled out, her belly was round, and despite the current circumstance, she looked like she had that 'mother's glow' thing going on. She indeed looked healthy. She looked as good as she did before he left! It was like an angel was coming around to stop the fight. Andy sighed with relief. With his brother there, at least he'd be safe from further harm. Maybe Allison would take pity on him too.

"Al, what are you doing? Go back inside. You're gonna freeze to death," Bender muttered. Allison shook her head. "Who's he?"

"Andy's brother," said the man, introducing himself. "Get your hands off him," he warned quietly. Adam gave Bender a serious look. Bender didn't budge, but neither did Andy.

Andy hopped to his feet, pushing Bender off him strongly. Bender grunted and stepped back. "What do you mean, he's not a liar?"

Allison looked at Adam. "Adam told me all about his little bet with his father."

"I REALLY hope this isn't what I think it is…" Bender began, looking maliciously at Andy. Andy gulped. The jig was up.

Allison continued. She seemed almost eerily calm. "He was going to move away anyways, but after…that night…" Andy looked down at the pavement just then. So…she knew. "After that night, Andy's father decided he wanted Andy to get away from me faster and Andy fought back. So he made a bet that he wouldn't forget about me in a month, and if he did, he could come back to me," Allison informed. Bender, looking at Andy, was still royally furious, but he seemed subdued. The silence from the quartet spoke volumes. Andy looked up at Allison, who felt chills, but not the same chills she felt with Bender. Allison wrapped the trench coat tighter around her, as if to shield herself from more pain and confusion.

"I'm back now for you," Andy said, smiling weakly. "I've come home to you! We can get a place and raise the baby together, maybe even get married! I've gotten away from my father, and I could get a—"

Although nobody interrupted him, Andy suddenly paused, looking at Allison's face. She didn't look as ecstatic as he'd hoped she would. She looked almost sad. Bender looked back and forth between them. Allison stared blankly at Andy for a moment, who didn't bother to continue with what he was saying.

Allison suddenly began slowly walking towards Andy. Andy gulped again. She wouldn't hit him, would she? Bender stepped forward and put a hand between her and Andy.

"Al, you don't have to—"

Allison shook her head and benignly moved Bender's hand aside. Bender easily stepped aside for her. She finally stood close enough to Andy to reach out her hand and touch his shoulder. Andy didn't stir as she gently grabbed his coat collar and pulled it down over his shoulder. Everyone leaned in to look at Andy's neck. A big red blotch, clear as day, was conspicuously positioned at the base of his neck. Adam bit his lip, and Bender smirked, nodded, as if he meant to tell Allison "good move."

Andy was speechless. Allison sighed, but not woefully. It was more like a sigh of shame.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" Allison asked.

"I do! Allison, I do!"

"Your neck says differently," Allison said back. "Andy, we don't have it anymore. And we can't get it back. I'm sorry," Allison said.

Andy didn't try to protest. "Why are you apologizing."

"I was such a fool. I should never have come on to you that night. None of this would have happened."

Andy shook his head, holding back tears. "No—"

"—yes. I regret what I did…what WE did. I knew somehow I would, but I couldn't stop myself. But, you left me. Why now, of all times, did you decide to come back?"

"Because I—"

Adam raised his eyebrow at Andy. Allison nodded. "It's because you got my message. Andy, I need you to be truthful. If I wasn't pregnant, would you have come home for me?"

Andy knew the answer. He'd forgotten Allison 99 until that message came up with the news.

Allison could read the answer in his eyes. "I don't need you, and you don't need me. I'm fine, and that's all she wrote." Allison seemed almost at peace as she spoke.

"It's my baby!" Andy said back, rather loudly.

"Andy, you and I both know that this is your baby. But all these things I'm saying to you now…when I just said that I didn't need you…I didn't feel bad saying that. What does that really mean, Andy?" Allison pointed out. Andy pulled his coat back up over his hickey. He looked at Adam, who was emotionless. Then he looked at Bender, who's nose was pointed at the ground, but he looked murderously up at Andy through his disheveled bangs. Bender was breathing pretty heavily himself. But Allison's intense eyes and they're message was what Andy hated to look at the most. They hurt him.

Andy let out a small moan under his breath. The moan came out of his mouth and turned to vapor. The vapor, unlike the one coming from Allison's nose, sunk to the ground instead of floating up towards the sky. The world was silently waiting for a reply from him. But Andy knew that no matter what he said, he'd be left in the dust. He knew what he'd done. He'd left his true love standing in the dust too. Andy just wished he could go back in time. To before he left. To before he knocked her up. To last summer, when everything was perfect and all five of them were best friends and roaming the town as if they ruled it.

Allison, on the other hand, was filled with confusion. She was finally happy, and now Andy chooses to come back. Why? Why was it that before, Andy was her happiness? She found a new happiness worth twice the last one, and then Andy comes back for more? This wasn't right.

"Please, Allison, give me a second chance."

"Why? I didn't get one," Allison said, placing her hand on her stomach. Andy felt like he'd just been punched in his. Another moment of silence ensued. Bender lifted his head and looked at the pair with a concerned look. The fire still burned in his eyes out of fury. Their one night for just themselves, ruined. Typically, it was the Royal Buttface who ruined it. Andy gave Allison a look of pleading. Allison averted her eyes from him and turned to Bender.

"I'm cold," she said.

Bender nodded and looked at Adam. He nodded and took Allison's hand in his. They brushed past Andy and began walking down the street (the apartment was only a few blocks away). Andy noticed that neither of them looked back as they left Club Jupiter. Their legs even walked in unison. Adam took one look at Andy and shook his head, starting to walk down the sidewalk the other way, leaving Andy completely on his own.


	22. Conquering Demons

_**A/N: **__Man, I thought I'd NEVER get out of the slump I was in with this story! I was prepared to write about 500 one-shots to get me back on my feet…but then out of nowhere…pop! The next chapter! Hope you all likie!!! Sadie's (hopefulyl) back and better than ever!_

* * *

By the time March came, Allison had put that night outside Club Jupiter behind her along with Andy, and she assumed he'd gone back to Kenosha with his answer. He was an 18 year old boy. Saying 'no' was what any teen boy who'd knocked up a girl wanted to hear. Yet Allison had this eerie notion that Andy had not given up so easily, and that he was still around town. 

But for the most part, Allison relished her new independent life. The baby inside her was still growing, healthy as ever for a 6-month old fetus. Allison found out by late February that her premonition about the sex was true. Allison was having a son. She had spent a lot of useless time thinking of names for her baby boy, and nothing really came to mind. Allison briefly toyed with surprising Bender by NAMING it Bender. But Allison quickly put that thought out of her head. Among her other favorites were Ozzy, Dylan, Ian, Paolo, and Rupert. Not very normal names, but for Allison, one of those would be just right.

Even more interesting was how surprisingly good Allison felt for a woman in her condition. Dr. Wilson said that for a teenage girl carrying a baby, especially one who was fairly underweight at the beginning of her term, Allison was pulling along wonderfully. Allison, with Bender's help, of course, was in great condition.

With Bender working just downstairs, Allison was never really alone. Because she was getting much more pregnant by the day, school was getting more and more unbearable. Allison desperately wanted to finish out her senior year, but her grades weren't so great anyways, and as far as a just being there, Allison was nothing but "the pregnant one." So Allison resolved to sign up for the next GED test, which took place in April. Allison knew she could pass easily. She was an outcast, but that didn't mean she was stupid. So Allison forgot about graduating and spent her weekdays in her apartment studying for her impending GED, set officially for April 10th.

Her days become pretty much monotone. She'd study and hang around all day, and when Bender came upstairs at night, her world became alive. Bender always had funny stories from the guys downstairs, or some new idea for the baby someone gave him. But even if he was pissed off or depressed, Bender just lightened up the room when he came back upstairs. He spent nearly every night with her, only going home on Saturdays to pack himself up and to assure Jack and Roxanne that he was still there. Bender was slowly leaving his house. It was best that way. Jack was such a drunk and Roxanne was such a bitch that neither of them would notice nor care. Besides, Bender was 18 now. It wasn't like he'd be considered a runaway.

So, the first Saturday in March, after Bender went home, Allison was alone in her apartment, watching TV in her bedroom (now complete, along with the rest of her apartment). She had a small bowl of grapes on the bed stand beside her and was picking at those while watching MTV. Ernie was still down below in the office going over some records, so it never occurred to her that someone could get into her apartment.

But someone had.

Allison had nearly dozed off when he stepped in her doorway. So she was startled when she saw Andy had gotten in and was standing over her. Allison shuffled to her feet when she got her senses back.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after about 5 minutes. Andy shook his head.

"You can't cut me off from our child's life," Andy says. "It isn't fair to me and you know it."

"I thought we covered this already," Allison said coldly.

"I thought you were more than this. I KNOW I hurt you. I'm sorry. I don't expect you to take me back with open arms. But Allison, this is my baby just as much as it is yours, and I want to be a part of his life."

"Andy, I freed you. Why are you trying to come back?"

"I want to be responsible. I'm not like my father. My father would tell me to ditch you. I need a chance!" Andy said. Allison shook her head.

"I'm getting alone perfectly without you, Andy," Allison said back. "Leave me alone." Allison left the bedroom and wandered into the living room for a second.

Andy stood still for a moment, thinking. "My god, what's happened to us? We used to be so—" he muttered before abruptly stopping. Allison refused to look at him in the eye. Andy took a look around the apartment. It was very nicely done. Allison was doing pretty well for herself…even if Bender was living part-time with her. The baby WOULD be well cared for. But still, Andy knew he was trying to do the right thing for once in his life. Of course, part of it WAS that Andy didn't want to face the fact that he'd slipped up and he'd been replaced. But regardless, Andy had to try, even if he got nothing but weekends. Allison had Bender to help her raise the baby in this comfy and lovely little apartment…

…then, suddenly, it hit Andy. Allison was finally enjoying the family and home life she'd never had. And Andy coming back was threatening to destroy it all!

Allison reappeared in the doorway holding a picture frame. "Do you remember last summer, Andy?"

Andy turned around. He smiled. "How could I forget? It was the best summer of my life."

Allison nodded and handed the photo to Andy. It was of him, Allison, Claire, and Brian (Bender must have been the photographer) sitting on the roof of a gazebo in the park, waving. Andy had his arm around Allison, and Brian was sticking his tongue out playfully.

"That summer, that short time you were in the hospital, and I couldn't see you, it felt like forever," Allison said. She paused to take a breath. "I thought after that week that I couldn't live without you."

"But you seem to be getting along fine here," Andy muttered, looking around. Allison nodded and took the picture back from Andy, but after a second, Andy took it back again.

"I am. I'm starting my own life now. And when you came back…" Allison didn't finish her sentence. How could she without hurting Andy's feelings. But she did feel kind of shitty right about now.

"That's it," Andy nodded. "I came here and ruined your perfect life!" Andy felt the anger building up inside him. "You can get alone perfectly fine without me!"

"Andy—"

"—I'm sorry for trying to offer my help for when our baby comes. Because whether you like it or not, Bender's not your child's father! _**I**_ am you child's father! Denial isn't going to change that!"

Every word cut through Allison's heart like a knife. Denial?

"You think I'm in denial?" Allison muttered. Andy didn't hear her.

"What's going to happen when our son or daughter—"

"—son," corrected Allison. Andy was caught off guard for only a moment.

"What's gonna happen when he grows up and he starts asking why he doesn't look like Bender! What are you going to tell him?! And here I am pouring my heart out to you and you can't even give me a second look?!"

"Well what about after we had sex and before you moved away? You avoided me like the plague! THAT was certainly a heroic thing to do!" Allison shot back.

"Water under the bridge! You don't want me in your perfect family? Then fine, I WON'T be! I'm sorry I ever tried to check up on you. I guess it was just a waste of time and gas money!" Andy forcefully put the picture frame on the table in the living room and stormed out the door. Allison bit her lip, trying to hold back tears.

"ANDY!" she called, running to the door. But Andy was long gone.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, in some aspects, Andy was right. She should have given Andy a chance to explain himself. Allison sure felt like a bitch.

Allison wished Bender could be there right now to hold her. But instead she felt onto the bed and let the tears silently come. It was true. She was being just as bad now as Andy had been 6 months ago. She knew what Bender would tell her to do. He'd tell her to forget him.

But she couldn't. He was right. He was the father of her son. It wasn't fair to shut him out.

"What a frickin' sweetheart, huh?"

Allison shot up. Liz stood in the doorway to the bedroom. Shit. Bender really needed to get that lock for the door installed.

"What do you want?"

Liz looked almost hurt. She stared blankly at Allison, then picked up a pillow she'd brought in from the couch in the living room and chucked it at Allison. It sideswiped Allison's arm.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Allison shrieked.

"You are such a dumbass!" Liz shouted. "You're doing it again!!"

"What do you mean?" Allison muttered behind gritted teeth.

"You got a great guy, and another great guy who wanted to step forward and be a gentleman, and you take them BOTH for granted!" Liz said defiantly.

"How can you possibly say that? And why are you in MY apartment anyways?!" Allison asked back.

"Do you KNOW how many night's I've been thinking about this? I was ready to give in and admit yet another defeat to you because I'm running on empty, and here you go, doing it again! You wanna know something?" asked Liz.

"No."

"I hate you not just because you win, but because you win and you don't care! You didn't care that you won a title that 30 other little girls would die for. You didn't care you had the hottest jock in school! You don't CARE that despite putting him through this, he still wants to be a man, suck it up, and sacrifice his wrestling and college all for you! I really need to know your secret, Allison. How do you do so much that you can take it all for granted?"

"I don't!" Allison said, getting off the bed again (this was getting tiring).

"I was going to give up. What's the use, anyways? I can't just stand by and watch you screw this up for yourself anymore. God, TWO GREAT GUYS, Allison. Jesus, you really take the cake!"

"Go away," Allison said coldly.

Liz gave Allison a hurt look. "You know what?" she said, beginning to feel tears at the corners of her eyes. "Screw me. Fuck what I say. I hate you, Allison. It's your fault that I'm such a bitch. I never get anything I want! You think you're the only who's daddy hates you because you aren't who he wanted you to be?" Liz challenged. Allison looked at Liz. It occurred to her that she never knew anything about Liz's home life either. But what did it matter anyways?

Liz saw that Allison was giving her the cold shoulder. "Look at me. I'm more of a loser than you! For once, I'd like to cry for a justified reason instead of it just feeling sorry for myself! For once, I'd like my father to think trying is just as good as achieving. For once, I'd just like to be worth fighting for, like you are!" Liz couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"If you don't talk to Andy…then who's the loser?" Liz said. She then turned and stormed out of the apartment much like Andy had done a just a little while ago.


	23. Rain Keeps Falling

_**A/N: **I'm trying to squeeze another chapter out of me to keep me alive. Grr, it must be brain allergies._

* * *

Springtime came at last. Flowers bloomed again. The snow drifts vanished. Life began to regenerate in Shermer. Allison, in the meantime, felt worse day by day, hearing Andy's words (and to a lesser extent, Liz's words) echo in the back of her mind. Andy was right. She was shutting him out because life had been going so well for awhile. Allison had finally felt secure as well. And Liz, (man, where did she keep COMING from, anyways?) well, Liz was right in her own selfish way. Allison was beginning to take security for granted. She was taking Andy for granted. She wasn't in love with him anymore, but he still wanted to do something for her…share the responsibility. And as far as life…well, no life could ever be perfect, let alone hers. By late April, her mind was just as exhausted as her body thinking on those matters. She hadn't seen Liz or Andy since. Liz had mentioned that she was giving up on chasing after Bender anyways, and Allison had trashed Andy pretty badly. She'd ruined her chance. 

As for Bender, it was only by April 25th that he found the chance to move himself out of the old firehouse he lived in. He could be with Allison all the time once he packed up and moved out of his cold bomb-shelter room.

Bender, unlike Allison, was finding himself in a constant state of uncharacteristic bliss. For once, he didn't totally hate life. He had a nice job, a girl who loved him, and he loved her in return. He smoked weed and drank less, he just didn't see the need for them and their emotion-numbing magic anymore. Ernie had pointed out that he was less hostile towards others. And although he wouldn't admit it, for the first time in his life, he actually enjoyed getting up in the morning to the sun hitting his face. Bender wasn't quite used to the feeling yet, but he was still acting realistic about his new stage of life instead of melting all over it like Brian would. At any moment, it could collapse. He needed to be on his guard for Allison's sake as well as his own.

April 25th was an unseasonably warm, muggy, overcast day. Clouds loomed to the west and threatened major rain. Allison had been feeling a little more tired than usual that morning, so Bender promised that he'd come back to the apartment by dinnertime. He took a few boxes from downstairs (it was a Sunday, so the garage was closed except for the key Ernie had given Bender) and took Ernie's old pickup truck to his house to pack up as much as he could. Although, he wouldn't have been surprised if Jack and Roxanne had pawned off most of it for booze and bowling money.

Bender, upon getting downstairs into his basement room, took a deep look around the place, laced with a negative energy that made bender shiver. He'd lived 18 years of his life in this pitch-black rabbit-hole, listening to the sounds of Jack kicking the crap out of Roxanne and smashing lamps above his head. The room suddenly seemed so much smaller than it had 8 months ago. The old futon on which he slept suddenly seemed so much thinner when he laid down upon it than before. The air seemed so much colder. Bender knew he could never live another night down there again. He was too liberated now. Too late to turn back.

And he was more than ready to step into the open air once again. His room was suffocating him. After Bender sighed to himself, he went to the dresser by his futon and began shoveling clothes into the boxes. He didn't even bother to fold them up. Bender's intention was to throw a lot of his old flannel shirts out or sell them at a flea market and use the money to buy more decent clothes. After all, he was going to be raising a baby soon.

Suddenly, Bender froze. That last thought paralyzed him. He was going to be raising a baby with Allison! She was going into her 8th month. He was going to be a father. Not a biological father, but the he was going to be the closest thing to a father that kid was going to know. If he married Allison, then he could adopt the kid and then he'd even be a legal father…

...WHOA! Now he was thinking MARRIAGE? John Bender, prankster extraordinaire and criminal deluxe, was thinking of marriage and fatherhood at 18? Bender could hardly believe himself. Looking in his small mirror he kept on his dresser, bender studied his face. He always had a rounder face, but something in his eyes made him shiver. Bender looked different. Not necessarily in a bad way. The bags beneath his eyes were gone. His skin seemed brighter. His ears even seemed perkier, his lisp were redder, and they didn't pout so much. Was he afraid? What had happened to him?

Suddenly, it hit him. He'd grown up.

And his heart hadn't died.

Bender smiled to himself in the mirror like a big cornball. Not a wide smile. He didn't even show any teeth. But Bender suddenly felt a wave of self-actualization flow through him. He wouldn't end up like his dad. Allison wouldn't end up like Roxanne. Her son wouldn't end up like him. Everything suddenly fell into place, and Bender knew that in the end, everything would work out. He'd never felt this optimistic before. It was an odd feeling. It made him feel awkward.

"Where the hell have you been, boy?"

Bender shot to his feet and turned around. Jack Bender, who stood 7 inches above Bender and was twice ad big around, was standing in the doorway. He held an empty Corona bottle in his hand and a weird look on his face. "I ain't seen you in weeks," Jack remarked. Bender took a step forward and avoided looking Jack in the eye.

"I'm moving out, Dad," Bender said.

"For Chissakes!" Jack moaned. "You're gonna end up on welfare!"

"Well, it's not like I'm much fun around here, Pop!" Bender said. Jack took a step forward.

"You watch your trap, Johnny, or I'll wipe it off your face so fast you won't have time to holler!"

Bender felt another wave of bravery rise up in him, and he couldn't control it. "I'm moving in with my girlfriend, Dad."

Jack looked like Bender had just flipped him the bird. "What did you say, boy?"

"She's having a baby and she needs me," Bender said blankly. "I'm not your burden anymore."

"You knocked her up?!" Jack suddenly yelled. He took a swing with his beer bottle at Bender, who reflexively ducked. Bender, finding a hole, drove behind Jack and bolted upstairs. Jack followed him up into the den. Roxanne wasn't home from Hooters yet, so she wasn't going to get in the middle of it.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson, boy!" Jack screamed, going for the attack again, this time only narrowly missing Bender, who fell behind the TV and tried to keep his balance by grabbing a lamp.

He knew this could turn ugly if he didn't scram, and fast.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside, Ms. Talula Burke was walking her Chihuahua down the street when she heard a crash from the old refurbished firehouse she was just walking past. She whipped her head around quickly. In the window, the silhouette of two men…one much heavier than the other, fighting, hitting, and running noisily around the house. The situation didn't look good. Ms. Burke didn't know who lived there, but it sounded like someone could get VERY hurt in there. Luckily, there was a pay phone across the street. Mr. Burke picked up her Chihuahua and ran to the payphone, dialing 911 with incredible speed. 

"Hello, operator? There's something going on in a house…it looks like domestic violence…yes, that's right, at 32484 Virgo Terrace…it looks pretty bad…please hurry…"

* * *

Wanting to walk off some of the odd feelings she was having, Allison decided to take a walk despite the threat of rain. No one was on the streets that day, so she walked down the road by herself. She had a lot of time to think. The baby felt like it was just going to rip through her skin any minute because it was getting so big, and as a result, Allison had to resort to more of a waddle rather than a straight-backed walk. 

She stopped as she saw a coincidental sight from further down the sidewalk. Andy, who still hadn't gathered up the nerve to leave Shermer and return to Kenosha, was looking into a thrift-shop window at a display of vintage baby carriages and highchairs. Allison sighed and walked up next to Andy.

"That one, that highchair looks like its 70 years old," she said softly. Andy was unresponsive. "Wouldn't it break under a baby's weight?" Allison asked.

Andy nodded. "No," he said unemotionally. "That wood's really sturdy. A three year old could probably sit in it."

Allison nodded. "John made one himself a few weeks ago to save some money. It's great. He'd got a good hand at woodwork."

Andy nodded again. "I bet you two are really happy together."

Allison sighed gently. "Andy, look, you were right. I wasn't being fair to you. I am having your son, and you legally share his life with me, so I can't shut you out. If you want to stay and Shermer and raise him with me, then that makes things all the better."

"Can't Bender adopt him once he's born?"

Allison softly touched Andy's shoulder. "Only if we get married, and I don't think either of us want that right now," Allison replied. "He's just sticking around to see that my baby and I are safe and happy."

"I know you two are in love," Andy said. "I appreciate how you replaced me so soon," Andy said back. Allison knitted her eyebrows.

"Andy, that's not fair!" Allison moaned. "You moved on pretty quickly too, from what your brother Adam told me," she said.

"What does that clown know?" Andy hissed. "Don't trust that moron and what he says!"

"Why shouldn't I?' asked Allison. "He's a lot like you."

That immediately shut Andy up. Andy gave Allison a look of hurt and shock, spun on his heel and walked away from her. Allison groaned. There was no getting through to that man!

Allison felt something inside her drop into her abdomen. Figuring she was feeling depressed or downhearted, she decided she needed to get inside before the rain started.

But because she was mentally full to bursting, Allison quickly lost track of time and place. She wandered aimlessly throughout the deserted Shermer streets (cars weren't even passing by) for at least another hour.

When, with absolutely no warning, something inside her suddenly immobilized Allison's legs. A bolt of fire traveled up her spine. It wasn't strong, but whatever it was, it startled Allison so much that she gave a little 'yelp' as she grabbed hold of the nearest wall. She felt an urge to cry out. Her thighs were aching. Allison couldn't believe it. It was too soon for her to give birth, and wasn't the water supposed to break first or something? It had to be something else. Allison sat down on the pavement and clutched her swollen belly.

Allison felt the pain go away after 30 seconds, and she could walk again. But looking up, she realized she wasn't anywhere near the garage, or anyplace familiar to her. AND, to top it all off, it was beginning to rain a little bit. As Allison got to her feet, she looked down at the ground and stared at the puddle of water marking where she'd just been sitting. It wasn't raining hard enough for there to be puddles yet.

That wasn't a good sign.

* * *

Liz, having just emerged from her house after enduring another confrontation with her father, was also walking down Main Street that day. She tussled her blonde hair behind her and kicked a rock she'd found sitting on the sidewalk. Maybe she needed to move out on her own. Every day her father was pushing her harder and harder to be someone she wasn't. Her father thought she was a happy, popular, smart, funny girl. Liz, however, had succumbed to the pressure and began to fall into a downward spiral. Most people thought Liz was a heartless bitch who just appeared in random places to butt in to peoples' lives. The only reasons she butted in was because she had nowhere else to go. After her mother abandoned her and her father began depending more on her to be her own mother, Liz grew more and more arrogant on the outside. No one was to know about her less-than-perfect home life. No one cared anyways. 

It began raining heavily after a few minutes, but she was wearing a raincoat, so she didn't bother running inside. Instead, she heard a peculiar sound. It sounded like a cross between a moan and a shout. Liz jumped backwards in surprise. What WAS that?

"Hello?" she called out cautiously. She reached for her backpack, which held a small switchblade she carried around with her for defense purposes. "Who's there?"

Li heard the noise again. The rain began pouring harder. Liz decided to follow the noise. It sounded pretty pathetic. Whatever or whoever it was, it wasn't going to hurt her.

"Hey! Who is it?" Liz shouted to be heard above the rain. She saw a big black heap about 20 feet in front of her. She knew that heap, too.

"Who's there?" asked Allison. Liz ran up beside her. "I can't get inside, it hurts too much!"

"What does?" asked Liz. Not that she gave a damn.

"I think I'm going into labor early," Allison said. "I can't walk, and I can't get inside," she explained.

Liz nodded and didn't say another word. She turned on her heel and ran down the street. One of those businesses had to leave their doors unlocked on Sundays…

Liz began yanking on doors on the block. Finally, she found success. A small pizzeria door was unlock, even though it was closed. Liz ran quickly back to Allison and started heaving her to her feet.

"Common, contractions don't hurt ALL the time!" Liz grumbled. "WORK with me!"

Allison did the best she could in getting to her feet and moving with Liz until Liz got Allison out of the rain and into the pizza shop. Liz went behind the desk and looked for a phone. "I'll call an ambulance—"

"—NO!" said Allison. "Give me the phone, I need to call John first!"


	24. Of Questions, Answers, and Chickens

As a result of Ms. Talula Burke's phone call to the police, Bender and his father were taken into Chicago to the police precinct. Bender and Jack were always kept separate after the police came into the house. Because Bender was 18, it wasn't legally child abuse, but Bender could still charge his father with battery and assault. However, the precinct was really busy, so in the hour he'd been there, no one had come to talk to him about charges, or even where Jack was. He was just sitting on a bench in the front part of the building. He knew Jack was in the back somewhere. Bender sat next to a dark-skinned prostitute on the bench, and she was looking him up and down. Bender didn't care.

"What are you looking at, skank?" Bender said defiantly. The prostitute flicked her hair and looked the other way.

Bender hadn't gotten injured badly in the fight. Jack hadn't directly harmed him this time. He'd gotten bruised and cut when he fell behind the TV trying to duck, but the wounds would heal like they always did. At least he didn't get it as bad as in the past.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Bender felt his heart leap a little. It was past 5:30. Allison would've wanted him home by now. She was either going to flip, or her pregnancy hormones were going to blow up in his face…again.

Wow. He'd just called Allison's apartment _**HOME**_.

Bender sat back in a feeling of satisfaction. Home. Where he belonged and could be happy. With Allison there with him, and with Junior soon enough, Bender realized that he finally was going to be a part of a family. What a surreal feeling! Before last year, Bender wasn't even sure the word 'family' existed beyond the inside of a Hallmark card.

"John Bender?"

Bender looked up at the police officer calling his name. Bender got to his feet and followed the officer at a distance into a small office that was expensively furnished and covered with certificates and pictures with the presidents of various academies or businesses. The office belonged to the Shermer head Sheriff, Leonard C. Skinner. The man looked almost like Dick Vernon, only a bit younger, and a lot less wrinkly or threatening. Nonetheless, Bender didn't like authority figures, so he maintained his ground, even if he wasn't in the precinct for something HE'D done.

Skinner stood up and extended his hand as Bender entered the room. Just as he stepped inside, Bender noticed it began raining rather heavily outside. After a second, Skinner retracted his hand, because Bender sure as hell wasn't going to shake it.

"Please, sit," said Skinner. Bender has already taken a seat opposite Skinner's desk. Skinner turned to the deputy who'd shown Bender in and nodded.

"As you were, Deputy," he commanded. "Please close the door behind you."

After the deputy did so, Skinner turned to Bender. "Why do you look so tense, son? You want me to call for some coffee?"

"No," Bender shook his head.

"Look, son, what you've been through today with your father isn't easy. But you're 18, and we can't charge child abuse anymore. We still can charge battery, assault, and a few other charges if you deal us some information and cooperate with us a bit. I tried to contact your mother, but her…ahem…workplace told me that she'd gone bowling and didn't say where, so we have someone waiting to bring her over once she arrives back at your house," said Skinner. Bender snickered. He must have had a hell of a time calling up Hooters!

"What are you saying?" Bender asked. "You want me to rat out my father?"

"No, no, no!" Skinner said quickly. "We're not going to torture you here and milk you for information, son! We do need to know a few things, though."

"Like what?" Bender crossed his legs at the ankle and leaned back in the chair. He may have been nervous being in there, but he wasn't going to show Sergeant Pepper that!

"Like, was this the first time your father has lashed out at you? If he's done this before, how frequently and how severe? Was your mother involved and how so? Little details like that, son."

Bender thought back as far as he could remember. When he was a kid, Jack Bender hadn't beat on him after he'd gotten too drunk. It was usually Roxanne who was Jack's punching-bag back in the early to mid 70s. It really didn't start up between father and son until Bender hit middle school, around puberty and such. Jack must have seen Bender as 'becoming a man' and needed to be treated like one or something like that. Every year, the fits got a little worse.

But did Bender REALLY want to rat out his dad?

Yes, he did. The fact was, Jack Bender regularly beat the shit out of his wife and only child. He deserved to go rot in jail for 10-15 years.

But then again, no he didn't. What was the point? Bender wasn't a snitch no matter who or what was going on. Besides, Jack wasn't his problem anymore. If he ratted out on the last 18 years of his life, it would only complicate the situation, which didn't really NEED to be complicated. What was done was done, right?

"Wanna piece of tootsie roll?" offered Skinner, holding out a jar on his desk. Bender stared blankly into Skinner's eye. Who was intimidating who now? Bender could barely hear the man's voice above the sheets of rain falling on the pavement outside the precinct.

"Look, boy, I feel like I'm pulling teeth when I don't need to be!" said Skinner. "Nothing bad'll happen to you. We can't call child services to come take you away or anything like that. Your father did you wrong, son, and we're here to give him the justice he deserves! Did Jack Bender ever beat you prior to today's incident?"

Bender really didn't know what to say. Luckily, the same deputy who'd taken him into the office knocked on the door.

"Sheriff?" he asked. "There's a lady calling for Mr. Bender."

"Probably Roxanne…" muttered Skinner, nodding. "I'll get it—"

"—the man said the call was for me!" Bender shot up. "I'LL get it," he said, confidently leaving the room. The deputy showed him to the front desk where the phone was. Bender nodded at him to give him some privacy.

"Hello?"

"John! Are you okay? What are you doing at a police station?"

It was Allison.

"Al? I'm sorry, it's complicated—"

"—I called your house looking for you, and some police guy picked up saying you and your father were downtown!" Allison's voice sounded breathless and panicked.

"Settle down, Al, I'm okay. My dad finally got—" Bender paused. Skinner could've been tapping the phone line. He saw it on a crime-drama once. The accused man wouldn't confess, so the sheriff hired one of his friends to call him on a tapped phone line. He didn't want to make the situation even more ensnaring and mangled.

"Got what?" asked Allison.

"I'll explain later. I might be here awhile, so are you okay?"

"Um…how long are you going to be down there?" asked Allison.

"Dunno, why? Are YOU okay?"

"I'm going to the hospital," Allison muttered. Bender nearly dropped the phone. "I thought it was too early, but I think I'm having the baby."

"Jesus…" Bender muttered under his breath. He was really beginning to not believe this day was happening. "Are…are you at home?"

"No, but never mind, John. Just come to the hospital, and FAST!" Allison said.

"I'll be right there, I promise," Bender muttered.

"I love you," Allison said softly moaning. It sounded like a contraction was hitting.

"Same here," Bender said back, hanging up the phone. Bender ran to the coat rack where he'd stowed his trench coat and quickly whipped it on, walking briskly at the door. The deputy looked panicky as he tried to run after Bender.

"You there, John Bender! We're not done here!" the deputy said, waving.

"Yeah we are," Bender nodded back, heading out to halt a taxi to take him to the hospital.

* * *

The hospital was on the other side of town from the police precinct, and traffic was always hell in the rain, so when Bender finally flagged down a taxi and got on the road, a half an hour had passed. It'd take awhile to get to the hospital and Allison. Bender was more worried now then he had been the day Allison collapsed in the school cafeteria.

The taxi moved at a snail's pace. Bender leaned over in the Hispanic driver's ear. "Hey, Don Jose, can you speed it up a little?"

"The name is Bernardo, and I cannot, I'm sorry," said the taxi driver. Bender groaned and leaned back in the seat. The taxi was driving so slowly that he could have leapt out right then and ran to the hospital and made it before Bernardo's taxi cab.

A familiar figure caught Bender's eye from out the window. Sporto. Walking all by himself in downtown Chicago with an empty Corona bottle in his hand. And he hadn't been mugged or raped yet? Oh well, might as well drag him to the hospital too. Bender thought that maybe watching the birth of his son might smarten up the dumbass.

"Stop," Bender ordered Bernardo.

"Ai, he says go faster one minute and says 'stop' the next!" Bernardo muttered, but nonetheless pulled over to the curb. Bender leapt out.

"Don't go driving off, cuz I haven't paid you yet!" Bender pointed at the pouting man. Bender waved at Andy. "Sporto!"

"Bender, what the hell do you want?"

Bender ran up to him. "Why are you downtown in this rain?"

"Why do you fucking care? I'm getting a hotel room tonight and flying home tomorrow," he said. "I know I'm not wanted here, so fuck off!"

Bender grabbed Andy by the collar before Andy could walk by. "Don't you DARE talk to me that way," he warned. Andy pulled a wrestling move and got out of Bender's grip, taking off down the sidewalk.

"ALLISON'S IN LABOR!" Bender called after him, making Andy spin on his heel almost automatically. Andy's look had changed from pissed to almost unbelieving.

"What? She's early," Andy muttered.

"No shit, Sherlock. C'mon, I'm heading down there now to meet her," Bender gestured to the cab. Andy walked back up to Bender.

"She won't want me there," he said, disregarding the conversation he'd had with her earlier in the day. He knew she was only saying he could stay because she felt obligated to. She could've gotten along fine without him.

"You go on," Andy said. "She can have the baby, and you can adopt it."

"Huh?" Bender didn't understand.

"Call me in Kenosha, she's got the number. I'll come down and sign any papers I need to, but you can have him," Andy said.

"Sporto, you're drunk," said Bender, pointing to the beer bottle in Andy's hand.

"Nope, I only had one," he said.

"Look, dickweed, you've always been the guy who never gave up. You're such a jackass with an ego the size of Chicago. Why now?" Bender asked. "No, don't answer that. You're chicken shit and you know it. You got rejected because you wanted Allison to crawl back to you and she didn't, and now you're feeling sorry for yourself," Bender accused. "Are you coming? Because dickweed or not, I know she'll want you there with her."

Andy stood his ground and refused to budge. Bender nodded. "Okay, fine. You are a dickweed, and not because you ran away. You're a dickweed because you ran away AGAIN," he said, climbing back into the cab and driving off with Bernardo, leaving Andy in the street.

* * *

"It's over," moaned Allison, sighing as a contraction ended. It had been nearly 3 hours since she first felt pains. Liz managed to get her friend Colleen's new car and drive Allison down to the hospital in Chicago. But what surprised Allison more, was that after Liz checked her in, contacted Dr. Wilson for her, and saw her to her room in the maternity ward, she didn't leave. Allison didn't bother asking why. She was too busy getting through the contractions. She was still waiting on Bender to arrive now.

Dr. Wilson had come over quickly when he got the news. He told Allison that premature birth was common with teenage mothers and that it most likely wouldn't bring too many complications. This relieved Allison a bit, at least until another pain hit. There were coming at 7 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds each. She was beginning to get a bit irritable.

"Where the hell is he?" Allison groaned. "He said he was in the precinct across town, how long should it take?!"

"Stop, whining, he'll be here!" Liz said rather harshly. Allison shot Liz a look that made Liz sink back in her chair. "More ice chips?" she offered.

Allison leaned back in the bed, shaking her head, looking around her sickeningly-clean white birthing room. This had only been going on for 3 hours. Weren't these times supposed to last days and days sometimes?

"Liz, can I ask you something?"

"I told you already, I'm NOT rubbing your feet!" she said, rolling her eyes. This almost made Allison laugh.

"No, I mean…why did you help me? I thought you hated me," she asked.

"I do, more than _freaking_ ever. Allison, how can I not hate you? You're not afraid to be yourself. You've got friends with more in their heads than air, you've got a guy who'd wipe your ass for you if you couldn't reach. But still, while I may be an empty-headed self-pitying little bitch, I'm not a HEARTLESS empty-headed self-pitying bitch. I wouldn't leave someone in the rain to have a kid without anyone around," Liz said, whipping out a nail file and rubbing away at her nails. Allison nodded.

"That's jealousy, not hatred, Liz," said Allison with a smirk.

Liz sat up straight. "So what?" she asked.

"Nothing," Allison said, rolling her eyes.

Dr. Wilson appeared in the doorway. "Allison? John Bender's here," he said, showing Bender in. He looked wet and out of breath.

"John!" Allison beamed. John ran to Allison's bedside and hugged her.

"Al, how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm about to have a baby!"

Liz decided to, for once, not make the moment about her, and quietly slipped out the door.


	25. We Can Do It

_**A/N: **Lol...Kristen, you are forever the one who'll pick out the random medical crap i get wrong! I guess I'll never be a Canadian EMT. Darnit! HAHAHA. All of your reviews have been much appreciated thus far, as well as everyone else's. Not much longer to go...debating over epilogue chapter as we speak, so, yeah._

* * *

Seeing Allison there in that terribly humble position, sprawled out on the bed all drenched in sweat and looking like she was ready to give up made Bender almost cringe. It pissed him off all the more that Andy had never made it to the hospital. Hell, he was probably halfway to Kenosha by now. Usually Andy giving his own flesh and blood up to someone like Bender was the absolute LAST thing he thought Andy would do. But then again, everyone had changed lately. Or maybe Sporto was trying to get some pity-friends out of it. Who knew, really? Bender knew that Andy had had enough of all this baby stuff. If Sporto really wanted to give the baby up to Bender legally, and if Allison agreed, he wouldn't hesitate to sign all the legal papers making him the father. 

But he knew Allison wouldn't agree to it. Even if it made things better, Allison would fight it. That's what Bender loved about Allison more than anything. She never looked for the easy way out. She made sure everyone had a say and that everyone got what they needed in the end. No matter their looks, social status or background.

Hopefully her baby would inherit that from her. If he got anything from Andy, the kid was going to be in deep trouble.

"So, why were you at a police station?" asked Allison. Her breath was weak and helpless.

"Why did you go into labor a month early?" Bender smirked back.

"I couldn't help it!" Allison said back, her hands flying over her head in surrender.

"Well, neither could I," Bender replied. Allison smiled and slipped her hands into Bender's. Bender curled his fingers in the spaces between hers. It sent chills up Bender's spine. Her hand was so cold and dry. Allison felt chills too. His hand was so warm.

"Is your father okay?" asked Allison with a sly smile. Bender's eyes almost bugged out. How could she possibly have known it was jack's fault he was in the precinct?

"How the hell did you know?" Bender asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

Allison rolled her eyes. "Come on, John! What else COULD it be for? Holding? Murder? Tax withholding?"

Bender nodded. "Damnit all, I forgot to pay my asshole tax!" he declared sarcastically. The nurse monitoring Allison gave Bender a strange look, making him snort back a laugh. Allison gave him a serious look. Bender sighed and nodded at Allison "Yeah, my old man's fine for now. Jack's in a holding cell on the other side of town right now. I didn't rat on him."

Allison licked her upper lip and smacked it against her lower lip. "Interesting," she remarked. Bender was about to ask why, when suddenly, she lurched forward as a contraction hit her. The grip on Bender's hand tightened by about ten times. Allison contorted his hand around in several painful ways as she let out a small, delicate scream. It all came so suddenly that Bender yelped a little bit in surprise himself.

"Aren't you supposed to breath in a rhythm or something?" asked Bender. It occurred to him just then that Allison hadn't taken those childbirth classes that Brian had suggested when he'd come to town over Christmas break. They'd just never gotten around to taking them.

"Gah!" was all Allison said, trying to swallow while managing the pain. Her breaths were shallow, even thought she was trying to breath as deeply as she could. Bender felt his hand go numb as Allison twisted it every way it wasn't supposed to go, and he tried hard not to holler out, especially after she bent it back too far. The nurse sitting at the end of the bed tried to urge Allison to use the Lamaze breathing. She wasn't following. Allison cried out several times before she leaned back against the bed and sighed.

"Does it hurt THAT much?" asked Bender, raising an eyebrow.

"Does your hand hurt?" asked Allison in reply. Bender looked down at his red hand and realized it was throbbing in pain. She didn't BREAK it…did she?

"NURSE!" Bender yelled out. The nurse rushed to Bender's side and looked at his hand. She nodded at him.

"You've got a strong grip, Miss Reynolds! You broke his hand!" exclaimed the nurse.

Allison shook her head. "I might have twisted it a little too far," she said sheepishly. Bender gave her a look.

"We'll have to get you down to x-ray and have that cast up before you can do anything else," said the nurse. She pulled out her walkie-talkie and talked into it. Bender shook his head.

"John, don't leave me!" she moaned. Bender nodded.

"I won't."

"It'll be an hour at most," assured the nurse. "Someone's bringing a wheelchair up now."

"Hold up, lady," said Bender. "If I have to leave to get an x-ray done on me, one, I'm not going in a wheelchair like some retard, and two, will I be back in time for the delivery?" Bender asked.

"I just said you'll be down and back in an hour, Allison won't deliver for at least another 5-6 hours at this rate…"

"ARGH!" sighed Allison desperately, clutching her stomach and whining. Bender, using his non-broken hand, took a wet washcloth from the table next to the bed and patted it on Allison's forehead. It seemed to relieve her a little,

"But and you have to sit in the chair, it's hospital policy," finished the nurse.

"Yeah, because if I don't, my hand will fall off," Bender muttered sarcastically.

"I don't want to be alone now," Allison moaned softly.

"You won't be," said a voice from the doorway. Andy, soaked to the bone and out of breath, was standing in the door to Allison's room. Allison was silent, with wide eyes. Bender gave him a look of death.

"Look who decided to play hero," he muttered with a bitter tone. A male nurse just then wheeled a chair into the room. Bender looked at it as if he'd wheeled in a 4-time amputee. Great, now he had to leave Allison in the care of the Ultimate Scumbag who had more mood changes lately than a PMSing drama queen. But what choice did he have?

"Fine, I'll go," Bender said. He looked at Andy, who flinched. But all Bender said was "Take care of her for me."

Andy nodded. Bender sat down in the wheelchair and was taken out of the room. Allison could see his head turned towards her as he was driven away. He gave her a subtle wink. Allison smiled.

Meanwhile, Andy sighed and sat by Allison where Bender just was.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I broke his hand during the last pain," Allison said, almost laughing. Andy laughed.

"Same thing happened to my old man when I was born," Andy nodded. "Or so my mom told me."

"Andy, I thought you'd gone home," said Allison. "I thought you said John and I could have—"

"—Al, I'm sorry," said Andy. "I really am. I guess I was just being chicken shit. I've been like that a lot lately. With the bet against my father that started this whole thing, and then leaving and coming back, and then leaving again," said Andy.

"I know what you did, you don't need to read me the whole novel of what happened the past nine months, Andy," Allison said. "I'm glad you did finally come back, though."

"But what about Bend…John?" asked Andy.

"I love him more than anyone I've ever loved before. But no matter how much we have each other, my kid will always share your blood. He'll need you here to answer any questions he has, because even if John has me, he won't be able to answer those questions like a father can," she said. Andy smiled That felt good to hear.

"I don't think John's being nice because of what Claire did to him," said Allison. "He thinks you betrayed me the same way she betrayed him."

"I swear I didn't betray you."

"You actually kind of did. But what sets you apart is the fact that Claire didn't look back. I want us to be like brother and sister, Andy. We still need to be friends, and I think we can do it."

Andy thought a moment. After all that they'd been through, it was only right that they thought of themselves as having a brother/sister bond. "I know we can do it."

Andy nodded. Allison, while red in the face and ready to cry, looked somehow radiant too. He went to take her hand, but hesitated. Friend or not, she was Bender's territory now.

But a contraction paralyzed Allison, and she instinctively grabbed for Andy's hand anyways. Andy rubbed her back as she leaned forward, clutching her belly with her free hand and grunting for it to end. He leaned in closer and put his arm around her shoulder in a meager attempt to comfort her. Allison looked ready to fall into unconsciousness, so Andy grabbed the washcloth and pressed it against her head and wiped away some sweat with the cold water. Allison looked relieved by it.

The contraction seemed to take forever to pass for Andy. Watching Allison squirm and moan out was more than Andy could bear to watch. He couldn't imagine what it was like for Allison, who actually had to deal with the pain part.

But what was more, was that within 24 hours, he was going to be a father. As child was going to be born sharing his DNA with Allison's, and he was going to be legally responsibly for his life. A whole life in Andy's hands! One wrong move on his part, and the baby could grow up to be a really fucked up person. What worried him even more than that he very well could evolve into HIS father if he wasn't careful.

"I don't think you'll turn into George Clark," Allison had said the previous summer (of course, they were only hypothetically talking about having babies together at that time). "You have to have no heart to turn into him."

But did Andy still have his heart? Or did it die with his childhood?

* * *

Bender took a little longer than an hour in coming back, but when he did, he not only wasn't in the wheelchair, but he had a big white cast wrapped around his hand and part of his lower arm. He came back just as Allison passed another contraction. 

"I seriously broke you hand?" Allison, said, laughing lightly. Bender nodded.

"The bastards made me take a shitload of x-rays and then gave me a long-ass needle in my wrist and slapped this 30-pound rock on my arm," Bender explained. He looked at Andy, who let go of Allison's hand as soon as they made eye contact.

"Sounds like you had fun down in the ER," said Allison.

"Loads. How is she?" he asked, turning his head in Andy's direction.

"She's doing alright," Andy said, standing up. "As good as she can be right now."

"Can we be alone a while?" asked Allison. Andy nodded with a slight smile and went to leave the room.

"Sporto?"

Andy turned back on his heel and looked at Bender. He put his hand on Allison's shoulder.

"Thanks, man," he said, nodding sincerely. Andy nodded back.

"Anytime."

Andy walked down the hall once outside. Maybe he could find a nurse's lounge and wait there. He wasn't going home now. Not yet. Not now.

Andy saw a vaguely familiar face on a vaguely familiar body leaning against the nurse's desk, talking with a receptionist about hair color.

"Red is very in right now. All the Parisian models are using henna on their hair. I've been thinking of dying my hair red myself," said the blonde girl. "It's exotic. You should also think about crimping…"

"Liz Lembo," Andy said, nodding. Liz turned her head and looked at Andy.

"Do I know you?" she said coldly.

"Didn't you used to be in my chemistry class?" asked Andy, walking over to Liz.

Liz shook her head and smiled. "Independent study," she said.

Andy bit his lip and thought a moment. She was right. Liz looked down at her feet. "I thought you weren't gonna show your face," she said, putting her hand on her hip.

"I thought you hated Allison. I thought you hated her ever since she took that kiddy-pageant title away from you," Andy retorted. Liz contorted her slight smile and expanded it a little more.

"That's jealousy, not hatred, Andrew," said Liz. Andy nodded and looked at his feet.

"Call me Andy," insisted Andy.


	26. Death and Rebirth

Allison sure was taking her sweet time having the baby. Bender, Andy, and Liz stayed in the hospital well into the early morning hours waiting to hear news, good, bad, or both. It was coming on 1 AM, and the maternity wing was quieter than before. Women and children were sleeping, and the night-nurses were watching late-night talk shows to pass the time on their coffee breaks. Allison might have been the only woman on the floor still up and in active labor, which meant she got more attention from the nurses. Hospital policy only allowed one person into Allison's room other than the on-duty nurse at a time, so Bender spent more time in there than the others, but Andy and Liz were permitted turns. Liz usually gave Andy her shifts because she'd either found a new Cosmo article or had gotten into another lengthy conversation with the receptionist over how "that new artist Madonna" wasn't going to last very long. She knew Andy needed them more than she did anyways.

But right now, Bender was helping Allison through another set of contractions. A nurse had told the four of them that Allison had moved into "stage two" of labor (whatever that was), and that she wouldn't be more than two more hours now. Andy and Liz decided to let Bender stay with her all the time while they waited in the nearby nurses' lounge for news. There really wasn't much to do to ease the worry for either of them. Liz, who wasn't completely worried to begin with, was stretched out on a sofa, trying to do her toenails in a new color she'd picked up at the drugstore across the road from the hospital. Andy was passing the slow time watching a sports commentary on TV and tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair, his eyes never leaving the clock. Both of them sat in silence. For a while, at least.

"Aw, crap!" Liz hollered.

"What?" Andy asked, looking over in her direction. Liz leaned over her feet and began scratching at a cuticle.

"Do you think people'll notice? I mean, it'll be conspicuous in my silver open-toed sandals," Liz moaned, rolling her eyes, gesturing at a smear in her deep-red nail polish. Andy was silent, at least until he sighed.

"Liz, can I ask you something?"

"No."

"Why are you bothering to stay here? I mean, Allison's not gonna die or anything," Andy said with a shaky voice.

"Because I damn well feel like it, happy?" asked Liz.

"Not really," Andy smiled. She was certainly a handful. Andy felt sorry for Allison at that point for putting up with her.

"You know, Andy, I'm actually surprised you're here."

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me, Sporto," Liz said. "Allison told me that John told her you were going to bail on her, so don't play innocent!" Liz raised an eyebrow. "What was going through your head?" Liz smiled as she saw the smirk drop right off his face.

Andy looked at his feet. "The abandoning Allison part, or the coming back part?"

"Both."

Andy sunk back in his chair. Liz wiggled her toes and set them on the floor. Andy looked a little sullen. "Well, after all that's happened in the last eight months—"

"—they WERE a little crazy, weren't they?" Liz remarked.

"Hell yes," Andy said, winking at Liz. Liz looked at the floor, unfazed by it. "Um, after impregnating Allison, moving far away, getting the news that I was going to be a father, coming back, being rejected by the one I loved, and all that in between, being rejected seemed like it'd all been for nothing. I kept thinking about how my dad would've probably told me to fight for Allison and fight to make the child mine. But…when I thought about it, the more I knew how happy Allison was without me. And that even if she wasn't with me, the baby would always have a part of me in his DNA, you know?"

"I don't know. You sound like a Harlequin Romance Novel exploded," Liz replied.

"I don't want Allison to be with me if its not gonna make her happy," Andy continued. "So I thought to myself, if she wasn't happy with me, then I didn't have to stay. Bender, jackass he is, could take care of her for me, and I could come down to see the baby on weekends. Then, I thought, what about the baby? I'd be abandoning him. Just like my dad abandoned me."

"Bullshit," called Liz. "Your dad didn't abandon you."

"He did. He's always been trying to make me into a winning machine. He's been trying so hard to make me into him and my brother Adam, that I think somewhere back there, I kinda lost who I was," said Andy. "The real me wouldn't have thought twice about Allison and the baby. I know the real me would've stayed with him and watched him grow from right next door. So…I guess, my father made me leave, and I made me come back."

"Third floor," Liz said.

"What?"

"The psych ward," Liz said. "Third floor. Go get yourself hooked up on a Thorazine drip and call back when you're in your own mind."

"You think I'm being dramatic?" Andy asked.

"Yes I do," said Liz. "What you just recited was basically 'I was scared then felt guilty about running.' Been there, done that," she smirked. Andy looked at Liz. She was right.

"Fine, forget it, Miss Pity-Me," said Andy.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" Liz asked back.

"Everyone knows you pity yourself and no one ever gives you any sympathy," said Andy. "You come off as Little-Miss-Perfect in school, yet you only have two friends and no social life, and you know it."

Liz was quiet.

"You're a shell. And you know that a shell wasn't good enough, so you tried shoving some cheap filler inside it so you wouldn't look so two-dimensional," said Andy. "And it didn't work."

"So?"

Andy leaned forward in his chair. "So? Liz, you proved tonight that you don't need that shell you've been hiding under! You got Allison to the hospital without even thinking of yourself for one second. If you really were who you made yourself off to be, you would've been home and in bed hours ago—"

Liz gave Andy a blank stare before shrugging off his comment and continued examining her toenails. Andy hid another sly smile. Lucky for her, a nurse came into the room.

"Mr. Clark?"

Andy stood up. Maybe Allison was close to delivering…

"You're father's on the phone."

"Damn," Andy muttered under his breath. Andy walked out into the hallway and up to the receptionists' desk, where the phone was waiting. Andy picked it up regretfully. "Pop?"

"Andrew, where the hell are you?"

Andy rolled his eyes. "At the hospital in Chicago," he answered in monotone.

"You sick?"

" No."

"Then what the hell's happening? You've got an interview with the coach from Stanford tomorrow evening and you know how much is riding on this, What the hell are you in a hospital for anyways?"

Bender suddenly appeared in the doorway. Liz was catching up to him from behind…or rather, shuffling up to him with her wet toenails.

"She'd almost ready," he informed. "Thought you'd like to know. Dr. Wilson said in about 15 minutes." Bender looked almost happy to be talking to Andy. Andy felt a surge of electricity rush through him. His baby was about to come into the world.

"Andrew, who was that I heard? ANDREW, are you there?"

"Sorry dad, I have to go," Andy said.

"What the hell? Why?!"

Andy smiled and tapped his fingers on the table. He felt something rise in his throat.

"My baby is about to be born, that's why," he said before hanging up the phone. What he felt in his throat rising up to his mouth was expelled in the form of a laugh. A real belly laugh. Bender and Liz looked at Andy like he was possessed. But he laughed his hard, true laugh.

And he'd almost forgotten how those kinds of laughs worked.

* * *

Allison felt ready to explode. She really couldn't take much more. It was 1:24 AM on April 26th, 1985 when Dr. Wilson announced that it was almost over, and that she should expect to hear a baby crying before the hour changed. Good. It was about FREAKING time.

Bender left her side for only a few moments to tell the others to stand by. He came back within 2 minutes to hold her hand with his (unbroken) hand. Even when she wasn't enduring a contraction, Allison was so damn tense that it hurt anyways. Her body, thought not as frail as before, was still weak and tired from the hours and hours of pain. At least Bender was right beside her, and Andy was right outside her door at that moment.

Allison looked around her. God, so much had happened over the past year. Heck, 13 months ago, she'd just MET Andy and John, along with Brian and Claire. Now here she was, wanting to wring Andy's neck for knocking her up and at the same time wanting to push this baby out of her before she needed a straitjacket. This was the real thing. Motherhood. It was real, and it was time. And Allison, for the first time in 13 months, knew she was ready. She was grown up.

And her heart was still here with her. Her heart hadn't died like she thought it would. She'd witness so many hearts die within the past year, and yet she'd witnessed so many rebirths too. Death and rebirth. It was a huge cycle, like what it talked about in her grandmother's old Buddhism, Wicca, and Hinduism books.

"We're going to push on this next contraction, okay, Allison?" informed Dr. Wilson, bringing Allison out of her little netherworld of thought. "It's coming up," he warned, looking at the clock above the doorway. A nurse positioned herself at the end of the bed. Allison instinctively sat up and took a deep breath, tightening her grip on Bender's hand. Bender gritted his teeth. This was it.

Allison suddenly uttered a pitiful high scream as it hit. She began grunting as she pushed down. Dr. Wilson nodded. "Good girl. Good girl, push!"

"ARGGGHHHHH!" Allison replied. The pain seemed to be splitting her in two as she continued to push down.

"I see the head," said the nurse.

"Push!" continued Dr. Wilson excitedly.

* * *

Andy and Liz both paced outside Allison's room. The screams in there were loud and made them cringe with both excitement and fear. There was definitely something going on in there. It was as if time stood still and that the distance they were pacing was the length of a racetrack. The screaming was so unpleasant, it was obvious that Allison was NOT having any fun in there.

Suddenly, the screams stopped so suddenly that Andy's and Liz's ears rang. As quickly as the screams ended, the sounds of crying began. Andy smiled. Liz stood up straight. They looked at each other. Liz sighed and extended a hand.

"Congrats," she said. Andy shoved her hand aside and took Liz in a tight, enthusiastic embrace, which took Liz completely by surprise.

But she didn't resist.

* * *

Allison couldn't believe what she was holding in her arms. A baby. HER baby. HER baby boy.

The child was a wrinkly, bloody mess, but, of course, Allison didn't care. As it writhed and cried in her arms Allison couldn't help but cry a little herself. She was overwhelmed, physically, emotionally, and mentally in every way possible.

And she loved it.

Her child, her baby, was here. Living, breathing, existing. What a poor kid. Born to a teenage mom in such a brutal world such as this one. If Allison learned anything in the past year, it was that the world wasn't a fun place for children to grow up in. Allison could barely feel the shivers go up and down her spine. Her ecstasy and joy easily numbed it.

She looked at Bender, who was still standing beside her beet red in the face and a little uncomfortable being there. Allison smiled. He had no right not to be a bit uneasy.

Allison turned to Dr. Wilson. "Can he come in, now?" she asked. Dr. Wilson nodded.

He opened a door and motioned. Andy popped his head inside.

His face said it all. Allison beamed and held out the infant to him. Andy looked at it and shrugged. Bender rolled his eyes.

"Just hold your kid, Sporto. He can't deck you until I teach him how to!" he said. Allison winked at Andy. Andy scooped the baby in his arm and chuckled.

"He looks absolutely nothing like me," Andy said.

"Lucky kid," Bender muttered. Allison giggled.

The three of them remained quiet for a moment. The baby's cries were the only sound that filled the room for nearly a whole minute.

"What are we going to name him?" asked Andy, breaking the (somewhat) silent room. Bender and Andy both looked at Allison. She shook her head.

"Let's worry about that later. I need some sleep."


	27. Epilogue

_**Three Years Later…**_

"Max, please DON'T put that in your mouth, it's yucky!"

Allison groaned as she yanked the flower pot filled with dirt out of Max Miguel Reynolds-Clark's little hands. Max's bushy dark hair barely covered his beady little blue eyes as he stared up at Allison with a ring of dirt around his smirking little mouth. He giggled and smiled at his mother. His mouth wasn't the only area covered in dirt. Pretty much everywhere on his clothes and body had dirt on it. Max seemed fairly pleased with himself.

"Choc-lit!" he beamed. Allison bit her lip to hold back a little laugh.

"No…dirty! You need a bath now, Mister Max!" she said, scooping her son up in her arms to the best of her ability with a pregnant stomach.

"No bath!" Max begged. Allison groaned.

"Yes, bath! Then, bedtime!" she said. Max shook his head wildly, his hair flying all over the place. Allison, again, tried not to laugh.

"No bed. Wanna see Johnny first!" Max protested. Allison nodded her head, understanding. Bender was late tonight. He was busy managing records downstairs. Fender Bender' Auto Shop had opened up a second store in Peoria. Ernie moved himself over to that store, and left the original store in his cousin's care. He'd been going over sales receipts and crap like that late many nights recently.

"Fine. You can see Johnny, but you must promise me you'll take a bath and go to bed as soon as he gets home, kay?"

Max gave a little salute and a "O-kay, Mommy!" Allison nodded and grabbed a napkin off the coffee table to wipe off Max's mouth. She then sat him on the sofa in the living room.

"Watch cartoons quietly until Johnny gets home, Max," Allison ordered. Max lied down and stretched out on the sofa to watch whatever was on TV. Allison smiled and went back into the kitchen to get out some TV dinners for herself and Bender (Max had already eaten). As she sifted through the freezer for the two boxes she'd set aside, Allison heard the phone ring. Sighing, Allison shut the freezer again and went to the phone, hanging by the bedroom door. She picked it up and leaned against the counter.

"Hello?"

"Allison?"

Allison smiled. "Hey, Andy. How was the funeral? Did many of your father's friend show up?"

She heard Andy sigh from the other end of the phone. "Yeah, it was packed. My mom was crying pretty hard, so we ended it early. Leigh and Corinne were pretty hysterical too, so I'm staying with them in Adam's apartment an extra night to help them out. They need it."

Allison nodded. George Clark had suffered a strenuous heart attack while at the gym in Kenosha. He died before the ambulance even arrived. A doctor had told Andy when he came to the hospital that George had also had some hypertension problems.

"But Andy, will you be back in time for Max's birthday party on Saturday?" asked Allison.

"Of course, Al, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Allison rubbed her stomach and sighed.

"Our boy's three years old," she said after a short wave of silence.

"I know, amazing," Andy said. "How are you doing?"

"Well, sadly, she DOESN'T take after me. She's got John's energy because I think she's throwing a party in here or something. I got NO sleep last night."

Andy laughed. "That's hilarious."

"Bite me," Allison said back. "Try no sleep, taking care of a toddler, AND running a yoga studio!"

Andy laughed more. "Okay, okay, I get it!"

Allison sighed. "So, you're okay with your father?"

"Yeah," said Andy. "I think I've made my piece with him."

"That's good."

"Hey, I saw Liz yesterday outside the church," added Andy.

"No kidding?" Allison asked. She tucked the receiver under her chin so she could dig the TV dinners out of the freezer before Bender got upstairs. "I thought she moved south after you guys broke up."

"She wanted to see me again after I told her about Pop. She might even come down with me for the party, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Allison.

Liz and Andy dated for a while after Allison had Max. It was certainly an awkward relationship, one that not even Allison and Bender could really understand at first. Liz was always self-absorbed and Andy was always trying to reinvent himself, as he vowed to do, mainly for the sake of Max. They did have their positive times. Liz loved being in love with the handsome, level-headed boy and Andy loved the vivacious, outgoing Liz and her goofy antics. They even managed to make better people out of each other. Liz taught Andy how to respect himself, and Andy taught Liz how to be a more pleasant person around others.

Of course, they decided to go their separate ways after about a year and a half, promising to remain friends. Liz moved to Missouri with her friend Colleen and managed to snag a job as a local news weathergirl. It was a perfect job for her. She was the center of attention at the local news station and she was a good talker. The last time Allison heard, she had begun dating the sports anchor, who was 8 years her senior.

Andy smacked his lips together, making a popping sound. "Okay. Listen, I have to go see how my sisters are," said Andy. "Say hi to Bender for me."

"I will."

"Until Saturday, then. Bye."

"Bye."

Allison hung up the phone. As if on cue, she heard the front door open.

"Al!" Bender called from the living room. "He-ey, Max!"

"Johnny!" Allison heard Max say. She shuffled herself out into the living room. Her heart fluttered, like it did every day. Bender was home.

"Max, where's Mommy?"

"Right here." Alison said, making herself visible.

"Al!" Bender said, smiling. "Guess what called me downstairs?"

"Who?"

"Big Bry! He's coming to the party!"

Allison smiled. Brian had been stopping by in Shermer to see his godson less and less as his studies got more and more intense. Allison, Bender, and Max were flying out to meet him in a month for his graduation (magna cum laude). But none of them were aware that he was coming to town. At the end of the summer, Brian was planning to attend the University of Chicago for his graduate studies.

"That's great!" Allison said. Bender walked up to Allison and placed a hand on her stomach.

"How's Veronica doing in there?"

"VERONICA?!?!"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" asked Bender.

"Yes!" Allison said. Bender put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her.

"Ew, yucky!" Max squealed from the couch. Allison raised an eyebrow at her son.

"Bath time!" she sang, smiling.

"No bath!" protested Max. Bender laughed. He scooped up Max, brushed a bit of dirt off his shirt and winked at Allison.

"I'll read him the right act, and book 'im" Bender said. Allison nodded.

"Thank you. I'm exhausted!" she said. Bender nodded and took Max into the bathroom. Allison smiled and looked out the window.

All was finally right with the world.

Suddenly, a huge crashing noise, followed by a splashing noise, was uttered from the bathroom. Allison ran into the bathroom as fast as she could. Max was jumping up and down on the toilet dry as a bone and laughing. Bender, however, was sprawled out in the bathtub, scowling, drenched in bathwater.

Allison groaned. Okay, maybe all WASN'T right with the world.

But it was a start.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Thanks to all those who reviewed and followed this story, and I hope you enjoyed it. My next story should have it's first chapter up by early July. It's gonna be a TBC Kids fic in 2005 and explains what would happen if TBC never made Monday work and their kids ended up in the same detention room 21 years later. Anyways, glad u enjoyed! _

_XOXO, _

_Sadie_


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